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America Song by Clyde Lynds
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography
America Song
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography

America Song

Artist
Year1995
Classification sculpture
Medium Concrete, granite, stainless steel, fiber optics, electronics
Dimensions32.5 x 16 ft., 30 in. (990.6 x 487.7 x 76.2 cm)
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
  • The Federal Office Building at Foley Square was built on a section of an African burial ground dating from colonial times.  "America Song" pays homage to the people who were buried there at the same time that it makes a universal statement about freedom.  The relief sculpture, located at the main entrance, is a combination of cast stone, poetry and lighting.




    Sand blasted into the cast stone panels below the sculpture are the word of an anonymous African poet:




     I want to be free


     Want to be free,


     Rainbow 'round my shoulder


     Wings on my feet.




    These words in combination with a metaphor for freedom, a carved wing, emphasize all people's desire for independence.




    Fabricated of reinforced concrete and stainless steel, the sculpture is embedded with fiber optics.  Floodlights below and above are programmed to create constant cycles of slowly dimming and brightening effects.  As these changes alter the mood of the sculpture, the fiber optics radiate points of light across its surface in alternating patterns and rhythms.




    The sculpture creates a powerful link between the history of the site, the architecture of the building and the people who experience the piece.




    "America Song" won a GSA Design Honor Award in 1996.  In their citation, the jury wrote:  "This piece is recognized for its sophisticated, intelligent placement, integrated use of new materials, community message, and possibility for intriguing, slowly evolving visual imagery.  The work maintains a classical beauty and balance.