Give Us a Poem, 2007
- Artist
Glenn Ligon
- Title
Give Us a Poem
- Date
2007
- Medium
Black PVC and white neon
- Dimensions
75 5/8 × 74 1/4 in. (192.1 × 188.6 cm)
- Credit line
The Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of Glenn Ligon
- Object Number
2007.32
Initially created as a site-specific installation for the Studio Museum in Harlem’s lobby, Give Us a Poem demonstrates Glenn Ligon’s ability to infuse language with alternate meaning by translating it in bright neon. Ligon sourced the text from a speech Muhammad Ali made at Harvard University in 1975. When asked by a student to give the audience a poem, Ali replied “me, we,” in a simple but profound pairing that connects individual and collective experience.
Give Us a Poem, 2007
- Artist
Glenn Ligon
- Title
Give Us a Poem
- Date
2007
- Medium
Black PVC and white neon
- Dimensions
75 5/8 × 74 1/4 in. (192.1 × 188.6 cm)
- Credit line
The Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of Glenn Ligon
- Object Number
2007.32
Initially created as a site-specific installation for the Studio Museum in Harlem’s lobby, Give Us a Poem demonstrates Glenn Ligon’s ability to infuse language with alternate meaning by translating it in bright neon. Ligon sourced the text from a speech Muhammad Ali made at Harvard University in 1975. When asked by a student to give the audience a poem, Ali replied “me, we,” in a simple but profound pairing that connects individual and collective experience.