Commissioned by Dr. Clayborne Carson
For inquiries contact: drue@drue.net
Director Clayborne Carson commissioned Sumi-e Artist and Stanford Class of 2000 Drue Kataoka to paint The Unfinished Dream. With the 2000 year-old art Japanese form of Sumi-e, her ebony-inked brush strokes distill Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s heroic essence. The original brush painting is permanently installed at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project and a limited edition commemorative print was produced for the millennial King celebration at Stanford in 2000. Rev. Bernice King was presented with a signed print during the ceremony.
In The Unfinished Dream Dr. King's fiery persona implores his audience to march to the drum roll of justice. His dynamic pose rouses us to confront our own inaction. Now silenced his resonant voice becomes the voice of the brush. The single, black strokes jog the soft-edges of memory to counter the deadly inaction and indifference of those who will not listen. Drawing on an ancient language, these powerful strokes deliver a message that is more urgent as the shadows of injustice and inequity of the 20th century linger. Reflected in these black pools of ink are many journeys, long prayerful nights, and the suffering of an entire nation. His eyes seize our collective soul and calls us to action to finish the dream.
