Vox Populi

For the entrance of the federal building in New Carrollton, Maryland, artist Larry Kirkland created Vox Populi, Latin for “the voice of the people,” to express two basic tenets of American democracy: freedom of speech and the right to vote.  Kirkland designed the artwork to embody, in his words, “the notion of good citizenship through the active participation of all people in a democratic society.”

Each of the two columns is formed by thirteen alternating bands of marble and granite.  The north column, representing freedom of speech, is capped with a marble hand with a raised index finger, as a speaker might gesture when giving an opinion or making an argument. The south column, representing the right to vote, features a hand with an open palm, raised as in voting or taking an oath.  Etched into the granite of each column are selected texts about freedom of speech, the right to vote, public opinion and individual rights.

Located between the two columns is a black granite pyramid with the same proportions as the pyramid pictured on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which is also printed on the back of the one-dollar bill.  Etched onto the granite pyramid is the text of the United States Constitution, superimposed with the opening words of its preamble: We the People.