By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
With a theme that included the words “art,” “justice,” and “creativity,” the Birmingham Museum of Art was the ideal place on Friday to honor renowned sculptor Joe Minter.
The City of Birmingham’s AWAKEN event, held annually during Magic City Classic Week, was themed “Art as Resistance: Awakening Justice Through Creativity.” It drew artists, art lovers, and community members to celebrate Minter’s indelible impact on the arts and the enduring role of art as a force for justice and resistance.
“There is something powerful about Joe Minter. We celebrate him because he is authentically Birmingham,” said Mayor Randall Woodfin. “We also celebrate him because he’s not afraid to tell the truth about our journey. Joe Minter knows that with creativity, with perseverance, with those things, you can rewrite your story. You can build a new village from the ground up. You can find a home.”
Woodfin presented Minter with the Putting People First Award, recognizing the sculptor’s pursuit of equity and justice.
For his part, Minter had little to say but allowed others to speak of his achievements. “I’m just a cry in the wilderness,” Minter said in brief remarks. “This is all I’m gonna say.”
Minter earned international acclaim for his profound and moving sculptural works that chronicle African American history and the ongoing struggle for Civil Rights. He was lauded for his unique artistic vision, forged from the materials and memories of Birmingham itself, which has resonated with those seeking to understand the city’s past and envision a more just future.
His work is in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; and others.
Friday’s event featured a discussion panel of local and national artists that included storyteller and craftivist Wilhelmina Thomas, visual artist Willie E. Williams, Jr., and arts administrator John Fields, senior director of UAB Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts. Each shared stories of how Minter’s work has inspired their own creative journeys.
Gina Mallisham, the executive director of the Jefferson County Memorial Project, moderated the conversation and concluded by thanking Minter for “30 years of witness, for transforming scrap metal into a sacred memory, for insisting that recognition matters. Your work doesn’t just document our history. It demands that we reckon with, and learn from it, and carry it forward.”
https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2025/10/birmingham-honors-renowned-artist-joe-minter-with-prestigious-city-award/
