Vinegar Hill monument artist to present model

For the first time in 88 years the Charlottesville community has commissioned a sculpture about our shared history. Participants in the Dialogue on Race, a Charlottesville City initiative, and the Jefferson School have commissioned the nationally renowned artist, Melvin Edwards to create a monument about Vinegar Hill.

Mr. Edwards was selected by the community through a jury process to be the artist for this work. The Jefferson School City Center grounds, across the street from the leveled Vinegar Hill neighborhood, were selected as the site for the work. The sculpture will sit beside the site of the school, which for 97 years served as the school for African Americans in Charlottesville.

Mr. Edwards will return to Charlottesville to present his model of the proposed sculpture and engage with the community about the significance of the sculptural presentation. In addition to his evening presentations, Mr. Edwards will meet with several different groups, including an art class of students at Buford Middle School. We invite the community to join us on Wednesday, 7:00pm at Ebenezer Baptist Church or Thursday, 7:00pm at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.