Image src: http://www.akilironanderson.com/artist-statement.html

The last supper is one of the most popular paintings in the world. While Jesus is usually depicted as white, a discovery of a great sculpture of an African American last supper became popular within the last year. This sculpture was found inside of a former Columbia Heights church. 

Workers found the sculpture behind drywall during demolition. They realized that it was hidden from the world over a decade ago. The brilliant mind behind this sculpture is artist Akili Ron Anderson, who created the African American Last Supper in 1982 when the church approached him about the project. 

The mission of the project was to bring out more African American artwork, which started as a movement during the 1980s. Anderson stated that everyone involved wanted to give African American children something special to look up to as they sat in church every Sunday morning. He created the sculpture so they could look up and know that one day they would make it to heaven too. 

Today, no one knows why the 232 square foot sculpture was sealed by drywall. The building is now used as a Studio Acting Conservatory.

No one is sure how the sculpture can be moved and many people feel it needs to be seen and honored by the world, so you can step inside the building to see Anderson’s artwork. But, there are also many places who want to move the sculpture and some have conducted studies to see how it can happen. You’ll just need to keep up-to-date on this story to see what happens next. 

Sources:

https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/01/09/you-can-see-the-rediscovered-african-american-last-supper-sculpture-this-weekend/
https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/10/11/a-massive-sculpture-of-an-african-american-last-supper-hidden-for-years-has-been-discovered-in-columbia-heights/?fbclid=IwAR3gRT2zSBlMHmIhDKhwKKj3CwkYAMxFUMlPnrILk18z6ArlOFuq1tHY1FM