'Aunties' hand-painted sculpture collection honors women of Harlem community
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- A new sculpture collection called "Aunties," is honoring the women of Harlem, including female leaders, builders, caretakers and change-makers in the community.
"From the moment we installed the pieces, I think people responded to the color, the representation, it's presence," said artist Fitgi Saint-Louis. "People felt seen."
The collection, an endearing set of hand-painted wooden sculptures in Harlem, is hard to miss.
Saint-Louis created the 6.5-foot-tall sculptures as a nod, she says, to family and different cultures, and as a way to honor people's rich legacy.
"As a Harlem resident, I wanted to make sure the art reflected the people here and I choose to create a collection of monuments that celebrated the women here, the 'Aunties,'" she said.
It represents community activists to entrepreneurs, and everyone in between.
"Almost every woman I know is an auntie to someone, a grandmother, a cousin and so this is about people connecting, the extended family that many of us grew up with," said Savona Bailey-McClaif of West Harlem Art Fund.
"Aunties" sit front and center at 124th Street and Lenox Avenue as a collaboration with the City Department of Transportation.
The faces do not have any features.
Saint-Louis told Eyewitness News that while working on her own family tree with her 96-year-old grandmother, something struck them, which carried over to this work.
"A lot of the people, we have names but no faces and so I wanted to find a way to capture all the different eras of my own family, and capture that in its abstract form so more people can see themselves in that way," she said.
Saint-Louis said she intentionally left space between the "Aunties" so people could come and take pictures with the ladies.
When asked about why there are three sculptures, Saint-Louis said, "I thought of this beginning, middle and end, or different generations."
You can see more of Saint-Louis' work in St. Nicholas Park.
"Aunties" will remain here through April of next year.
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