“The Most Racist Satue in America”: Stephen Foster and Uncle Ned, Pittsburgh”
A monument to Pittsburgh native and pioneering songwriter Stephen Foster (1826-1864) was installed in 1900 and was removed in 2018. The essay was included in the volume accompanying the groundbreaking MONUMENTS exhibition, which opened at The Brick and MOCA, Los Angeles museums in 2025. Decommissioned monuments, many but not all Confederate, were presented alongside contemporary artworks addressing American history and national identity. The volume’s essays address the social, political, historical and art historical context of the monuments as well as the legacies of the people and events they commemorate.