Brooklyn artist creates sculptures inspired by social unrest, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor

With this year seeing so much social unrest across the city, a Brooklyn artist is honoring the lives of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor through her handmade sculptures.

News 12 Staff

Nov 2, 2020, 12:32 PM

Updated 1,441 days ago

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With this year seeing so much social unrest across the city, a Brooklyn artist is honoring the lives of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor through her handmade sculptures.
The clay sculptures by Rev. Joyce McDonald tells a story of the grief of Black Americans, during a time of social unrest in the country.
"My art is like an intermission for chaos that's out in the world. The sculpturing, I understand that was my protest and I felt like everybody did, I felt like they could've been my child,” says McDonald.
McDonald has been making sculptures for more than two decades, finding solace in her artwork to help get her through difficult times in her life.
Now her work is being highlighted in a short film by the New York Choral Society, called “Our Voices: Peace unto Zion,” which touches on social justice, that McDonald says she hopes can help create change.
"Not only are they going to appreciate the music and they're going to see the art, but they within themselves, they make a decision to do something,” says McDonald.
The film uses shaker hymns to reflect the idea that everyone is created equal, and that we should all come together to create a better society.
With her sculptures, that also show Black Americans embracing each other, McDonald is hoping that people viewing her work knows that sometimes with tragedy there can still be triumph.
"I hope they take from it that there's still hope. That they died but out of everything that happens, God can make it good. It's not good that that happened at all, but things may get better as a result,” says McDonald.
Her artwork can be viewed in the film once it's released on Nov. 11 on the New York Choral Society's website.