Why an LA Art Museum Wants Pgh’s Racist Statue

For a long time, the birthday of 19th century composer Stephen Foster was a big deal in Pittsburgh. People here were proud that Foster, who was born on July 4th in Lawrenceville, was the popular songwriter behind a bunch of hits at the time — “Beautiful Dreamer,” “Camptown Races,” “O Susanna,” and more. And while Foster himself was not a confederate leader, there was a statue of him in Oakland for 118 years depicting a barefoot Black man playing a banjo at his feet. The controversial piece came down by unanimous decision in 2018, and we wondered where it’s been since. It turns out, there’s a museum director in LA who wants it, and has a plan. We’re with co-curator Hamza Walker of LAXART.

***This conversation originally published June 29, 2022.

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