Julia Hawley

Sustain the Flame

Explanation: An assembly of hand-shaped candles stands in a landscape that mimics an urban context. They all begin as a symbolic liberty torch and are in the process of melting away to reveal a protest fist within. The match and candle snuffer suggest conscious action: to put in the work, to avoid the change, or to just stand by.

Lesson: Repeated behaviors have compounded into a mass of unequal treatment of certain groups in America. We as individuals and a greater society need to recognize and unlearn old behaviors in order to sustain a long-term fight for change. The slow-burning wax represents the continual action towards standing up to the unfulfilled promises of equal opportunity and liberty.