One of the biggest issues in our country right now is the removal of various statues and the renaming of places. The reason why this is happening is because many of the statues and monuments are of known slave owners. It's something that is even affecting us here in the Capital Region as Albany prepares to remove the statue of Phillip Schuyler.
It can be tough to navigate these paths so I enlisted the help of Kathryn Kosto, Executive Director of the Albany County Historical Association at the Ten Broeck Mansion. That mansion sits in Albany's Arbor Hill and they don't sugarcoat the fact that Abraham Ten Broeck was a slave owner, and was one well past it was acceptable to do so in the Northern Part of the United States.
In this interview Kathryn provides insight into art, art history, and what it means in current society.
One the main takeaways from this is that art is supposed to move you emotionally. It is supposed to have a meaning and you have to ask, does that meaning move us forward as a society or does it close the door on one part of our community?
Listen to the full interview below.