Matthew Mazzotta’s (SMVisS ’09) and Ellamonique Baccus’s project, Chester I. Lewis Reflection Park, won the Chris Cherches Award in Wichita, Kansas. This is the first government-funded artwork depicting an African American in downtown Wichita and it celebrates civil rights leader Chester I. Lewis (1929-1990). The artwork includes a 1937 Redlining Map of Wichita that replicates the color-coded maps used to deny homeownership in 63% of Wichita.
At the entrance of Chester I. Lewis Reflection Park, his words, etched in granite, challenge visitors “to be free from hypocrisy, sham, and acquiescence” by putting “man and his condition at the center of our thoughts and deeds.” Within the park, six 15-foot tall steel “echos” progressively appear to open from a steel house frame at the platform stage. These “echo” structures and the house structure hold images that depict the life of Chester I. Lewis. Original oil paintings and drawings by Ellamonique are imprinted onto monolithic glass and anodized aluminum with an assemblage of school bus and airplane parts. The house structure supports two 13-foot painted aluminum wings as well as benches and original tiles. At the base of the house structure is a Lithomosaic embedded in the concrete, an artistic interpretation of the redlined map of the City of Wichita from 1937. Signage with QR codes links a virtual tour.
The new artwork and educational space was developed over three years of discussions with over 70 stakeholders, including personal interviews with Lewis’ daughter and granddaughter. It showcases Mr. Lewis’ transformative work as a leader in the NAACP and attorney, where he integrated jobs, housing, schools, pools, and restaurants, and led the famously effective Dockum sit-ins.
