The Embrace, a memorial sculpture honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, was designed by conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group. The sculpture will be built on Boston Common in Boston. Photo: Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group/King Boston. Architectural Digest.
Boston has always had a special place in Martin Luther King Jr.’s place. It is the city where he met his wife, Coretta Scott and where they went to graduate school. He declared in 1965 that “Boston must become a testing ground for the ideals of freedom.”
The idea for the 22-foot-high sculpture, which models the hands of King and Scott King, evokes images of the couple—and other protesters—in peaceful marches. Unlike so many other memorials, it also celebrates the power of love and togetherness as opposed to war, violence, and singular heroes. Photo: Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group/King Boston, Architectural Digest