Page 8 - Willis Thomas News Today

BOSTON (WCVB) -- There is controversy surrounding "The Embrace," Bostons recently-unveiled monument to slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

Comedian Leslie Jones returned to TV as guest host of The Daily Show Tuesday, bringing her outrageous sense of humor to controversy over Bostons new Martin Luther King Jr. statue.

In memory of both figures’ legacy and work during the Civil Rights movement, Embrace Boston raised $8 million for the sculpture recently unveiled.

The uniquely designed artwork depicts only the couple’s arms and hands in a warm embrace.

Located in the oldest public park in the US, The Embrace is a 20-foot-tall monument in Boston by artist Hank Willis Thomas in collaboration with MASS Design Group

MASS Design Group has unveiled a landscape and sculpture on the Boston Common that honors civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The sculpture, titled Embraced, was inspired by a photograph of the civil rights icons hugging in 1965 after learning that Dr. King Jr. had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Plus, the Dalai Lama spreads the message of hope through art and MoMA director Glenn Lowry weighs in on the future of democracy.

The submissions reveal an incredibly varied aesthetic approach to honor the Kings at the Boston Common by five renowned artist teams who explore issues of race, colonialism and its legacy, and identity, among other relevant themes.

Boston has unveiled "The Embrace," a Hank Willis Thomas monument celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.