Double Take: An Artist and an Olympian

One of the most memorable images from the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City is the symbolic act of protest by Tommie Smith, winner of the men’s 200-meter race. During the medal ceremony, Smith bowed his head and raised his fist as an assertion of Black solidarity in the fight for human rights. Decades later, artist Glenn Kaino collaborated with Smith to create the monumental sculpture “Bridge”, now hanging in SAAM’s Luce Foundation Center. Join Sarah Newman, the James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art at SAAM, and Damion Thomas, curator of sport at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, as they discuss the impact of “Bridge” and the gesture that inspired it. 

This program is part of the “Double Take” series where Smithsonian specialists from different disciplines team up to talk about artworks from SAAM’s collection. 

Smithsonian American Art Museum; Meet in G Street Lobby