Bust of York, Bronze sculpture at Mount Tabor Park in Portland, United States
The Bust of York is a wood and urethane sculpture, painted bronze, set on a pedestal in Mount Tabor Park in Portland, Oregon, depicting the head and shoulders of the explorer York. The pedestal it stands on previously held a different monument before this work was placed there.
The sculpture was created by artist Todd McGrain and installed in February 2021 on a pedestal that had previously held a different monument. Its placement reflected a broader shift in how Portland was choosing to mark the contributions of figures long absent from its public memorials.
York was an enslaved man who traveled the full length of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, yet his story was absent from public memorials for generations. His portrait at this site invites visitors to think about who gets remembered in shared public spaces.
The pedestal sits within Mount Tabor Park, which is easy to walk through and has paths through trees and open grassy areas. Since the sculpture has been in storage at times and may not always be on display, it is worth checking its current location before visiting.
The artist installed the sculpture without official permission at first, choosing to remain anonymous when the work appeared. This unexpected act sparked a broad public debate about whose stories deserve a place among the city's monuments.
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