When Emmett went to Mississippi in 1955, he had no idea that he was going behind an invisible iron curtain.

Three Landmarks and a Story Forever Protected

A memorial wreath on a chair at the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, Illinois.

Three chairs set next to each other. The two on the ends have dark green fabric cushions. The middle is draped in a white cloth with a decorative floral wreath sitting propped up on it.

A series of historically significant sites relating to the Till family are now federally protected. To those who fought for this designation for years, it’s a monumental victory.

Forever Connected: The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument

With AR, you can just build your own monuments and place them wherever you want.

Kinfolk Executive Director idris Brewster (left); Chief Strategy Officer Micah Milner, right. 

Two people in a sunlit room. One person with a beard is perched on a stool; the other is standing next to the seated person. On the wall are framed works of art showing different figures.

New Technology Opens Doors to Meet People and Places of Our Past

The Wideman Davis Dance Company performs “Migratuse Ataraxia” in Alabama in 2020. Photo: Clark Scott

 A single dancer performs in Wideman Davis Dance’s “Migratuse Ataraxia.” They are raising their arms and stepping their right foot forward. A multimedia projection is displayed behind them.

Exploring the Histories of Black Sites

Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration Launch

The Irei Names Project is inspired by the Manzanar Ireitō or “Soul Consoling Tower,” a monument built by people incarcerated at the Manzanar camp in Inyo County, California during WWII to honor those that would never return home from the camps. Photo: courtesy of the Shinjo Nagatomi Collection, Manzanar National Historic Site

In black and white, a line of Asian individuals of all ages stand in front of a pillar. In big black letters, three Japanese Kanji characters read "Soul Consoling Tower." A young child looks back towards the camera.

A Multimodal Memorial Remembers Japanese American WWII Incarceration

Sneak Peek: A Tribute to Fannie Lou Hamer

Preview: Ada Pinkston

I feel like we’re at the beginning of a new evolution of how we’re going to be thinking about monuments of the future.

In Monumental Art, Discover Untold Stories of America 

“HOMEGOING” (2023) by Ashon T. Crawley, one of six art installations that comprised “Pulling Together,” a temporary exhibition on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Photo: Ike Edeani for Mellon Foundation 

The Washington Monument at sunset overlooking a group of blue sculptures sitting on the ground beneath it

With “Pulling Together,” Beyond Granite Breaks New Ground

Kootéeyaa Deiyí Totem Pole Project 

Two totem poles dot the shoreline and point visitors to Kootéeyaa Deiyí, the Totem Pole Trail, in Juneau, Alaska.

Gif of an intricately painted totem pole in red and green set in front of a harbor with four cruise ships anchored in it

Explore Kootéeyaa Deiyí, the growing totem trail on Alaska’s waterfront

Presidential Initiatives

A commitment to transform the nation’s commemorative landscape by supporting public projects that help represent the complexity of American stories.

The Monuments Project

How can we transform our commemorative landscape so that it accurately conveys complexity of our history and the inspiration that is possible in public spaces?

EA Monuments and Memory quote

Photo: Sharif Hamza for Mellon Foundation

Headshot of Elizabeth Alexander

The cover page of the National Monument Audit (2021). Courtesy of Monument Lab.

monument lab hero

The National Monument Audit, published in September 2021 by Monument Lab, is a report on the commemorative landscape, released at a pivotal moment in the national conversation about monuments.

Interrogating Our Monument Landscape

What will our nation’s first monument audit reveal?

Karyn Olivier, “The Battle Is Joined, 2017” in Vernon Park, Philadelphia. Photo: Mike Reali/Mural Arts Philadelphia

A 20-foot-high mirrored monument commemorates a Revolutionary War battle.

Originally livestreamed on September 29, 2021. This event included Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander and Dr. Paul Farber.

Monumental Conversations: What we found when we analyzed America’s monuments

Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe is being relocated to Kaw Nation land. Photo: Mike Gunnoe, courtesy of the University of Kansas Endowment Association 

In a clearing at sunrise, a tall red stone boulder sits on a pedestal made of smaller stones. The boulder is almost as tall as the trees around it. 

The Kaw Nation Reclaims a Sacred Stone

Public Memory and Our Passing World

Illustration: Ibrahim Rayintakath for Mellon Foundation

Events PublicMemory Social Website Hero

Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander and artist and designer Maya Lin explored the power of the arts and public memory in a time of climate change. 

Public Memory and  Our Passing World

The Kaagwaantaan totem pole, created by carver Nicholas Galanin, Tlingit/Unangax Master Artist, depicts crests from the Kaagwaantaan tribe, including Killer Whale mounted on a clan hat, a clan member, Killer Whale, Eagle, and Bear. Photo: Acacia Johnson for Mellon Foundation

A multicolored painted totem pole set in front of a foggy forest landscape

Monuments and Memory

Artists as Catalysts

Artists as Catalysts Navigation Image

Beyond Incarceration

A side profile of a Black poet who is wearing glasses and a hat with a feather hat pin.

Civic Engagement

A man in a brown jacket stands in front of blue bulletin board that is covered with papers and advertisements  

Evolving Higher Education

A vertical image of an Indigenous person who is sitting on a chair in front of a backdrop.

Expanding Public Knowledge

An interior room filled with audio and video equipment 

Multivocality

Five people stand together in a group photo. They are laughing and smiling.

Power of the Word

Five colorful neon signs hang on the wall with messages that include, "Freedom cannot wait," "Brown owned," and "America is for Dreamers."

Public Places‚ Public Stories

A group of Indigenous Maskoke people stand and sit in the wooden frame of a structure in a woods

Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 