‘Grounded In The Stars' Times Square Statue Sparks Social Media Debate

Yahoo

13-05-2025

A statue of a Black woman that was placed in Times Square in New York City last month is now at the center of digital discourse. The 12-foot bronze figure, named Grounded in the Stars, is by visual artist Thomas J Price. According to the Times Square website, Price uses artwork to confront preconceived notions of identity and representation.
As described by Times Square, 'Grounded in the Stars was made to disrupt traditional ideas around what defines a triumphant figure and challenges who should be rendered immortal through monumentalization.'The woman depicted in the statue is a Black woman wearing braids. She is poised upright in a subtle nod to Michelangelo's David, with her hands on her hips, wearing everyday, casual clothing. Her body is arguably the physique of the average woman.
'Times Square stands as an iconic symbol and site of convergence, uniting people from all walks of life, individual stories, and experiences intersecting on a global platform,' relayed Price.
Times Square Arts will also present Price's stop-motion animations Man Series on the district's billboards nightly in May as a part of the Midnight Moment program.
'The intention of my public works is to become part of the place they inhabit and its physical, material history, as well as the visitors that pass through and around the location, no matter how fleeting. I hope Grounded in the Stars and Man Series will instigate meaningful connections and bind intimate emotional states that allow for deeper reflection around the human condition and greater cultural diversity.'
Despite Price's seemingly good motives, on social media, Grounded in the Stars has been the subject of racist hate and additional critique from people who feel the statue is a misrepresentation.
'Who is this woman?' questioned Fox News host Jesse Watters in a news broadcast. 'What did she do to get a statue? A nice one, too!' He continued to answer his own question and exclaimed, 'Nothing. This isn't a real person. It's a DEI statue.'
One user on X shared a petition to have the artwork removed. They wrote, 'Trying to explain to Black women why the statue is a set up and harmful feels like talking to a wall. I'm genuinely struggling to understand how they don't see that we're being mocked, not honored.'
Another suggested, 'And they want us to believe that #statue isn't a mockery???' as they shared a clip of a group of Black women dancing. They further explained their opinion, 'A man with a white mother and white wife made that statue. He has no idea what an accurate representation of a Black woman is. He doesn't even have ANY relation to Black women.'
One account declared, 'Woke culture strikes again. It's not art; it's activism. It's the left turning public spaces into a battleground for their agenda. Real culture doesn't need to be shoved down our throats.'
Still, the debate was not without rebuttal. 'They mad at a statue of an everyday Black woman because it looks like an everyday Black woman. Just say y'all hate yourselves,' shared one user in reaction to the discourse.
'Plenty of black women look like that statue, my aunties, my teachers, the lady at the bank. That represents so many of our mothers and sisters. Y'all only desire to be sexualized. You don't wanna f**k the statue so it's not acceptable, but go outside. You see her everywhere,' asserted one account.
'I had a Black Woman comment under my video defending that statue that she looked like a 'stressed and tired single mother,'' explained one user. 'I genuinely didn't realize so many of yall thought so lowly of your own people, and ultimately yourselves. Cus HOW did that come to your mind…?!'
Grounded In the Stars is set to remain on display at Broadway and 46th Street through June 17, 2025.
'If these fictional characters are from a gender or perceived race that you have decided should not be at this level, and suddenly you see them presented in their gloriousness, it challenges people's internal landscapes,' expanded Price in an interview with The Art Newspaper. 'But this is so important for us to do, we should all be doing this to ourselves daily. So this is my little gesture to present an opportunity for people to question their assumptions about the world we live in.'
Read some of the digital discourse below.
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