Wax statue of President Lincoln melts in sweltering heat of Washington, DC
With multiple days of 95-100 degree heat in Washington recently, Sandy Williams IV's impressive 6-foot-tall wax replica of the Lincoln Memorial is melting outside of Garrison Elementary in Northwest Washington.
Wax statue of President Lincoln melts in DC heat
A wax statue of President Abraham Lincoln outside a Washington D.C. area school is not enjoying the heat wave.
WASHINGTON — Hats off to one Washington artist — no pun intended — whose conceptual art is causing a lot of buzz.
With multiple days of 95-100 degree heat in Washington, D.C. recently, Sandy Williams IV's impressive 6-foot-tall wax replica of the Lincoln Memorial is melting outside of Garrison Elementary in Northwest Washington.
A wax statue of President Abraham Lincoln outside a Washington D.C. area school is not enjoying the heat wave.
(CulturalDC)
The 3,000-pound Abraham Lincoln wax sculpture titled "40 ACRES: Camp Barker" sits on the former site of Camp Barker, a Civil War-era contraband camp.
Williams said the art installation is intended to be burnt like a candle and to change over time. However, the extreme heat has significantly affected it, altering the appearance of the 16th president.
On Monday, staff with CulturalDC, supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities through the Public Art Building Communities Grant, purposely removed Lincoln’s head to prevent it from falling and breaking.
"While I do often encourage these sculptures to melt, I was not expecting this version of the artwork to melt in this way," Williams said. "This melting is 100% due to the unexpected heat waves we are experiencing on the East Coast and around the world."
"40 ACRES: Camp Barker" by Sandy Williams IV is commissioned by CulturalDC and supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities through the Public Art Building Communities Grant.
(CulturalDC)
Williams has used this wax for public sculptures since 2020. However, this is the first time that the heat has visibly affected its integrity.
Other wax replicas in Williams' wax monument series include the images of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, J. E. B. Stuart and Thomas Jefferson.
"Traditionally, monuments are made to sit and collect a patina, as they withstand change, in an attempt to eternalize a particular reality, I am interested in visualizing change, and building monuments able to keep a living record of activity," Williams said. "By melting these wax versions of famous monuments, people are given agency over these forms that are normally (legally) untouchable."
CulturalDC said they are working with the community and Garrison Elementary to determine the next stages for the slumping Abe sculpture.
An active weather day looms ahead for Washington amidst hot temperatures rising into the mid- and upper 90s with heat indices of 100-105 degrees. In addition, there is potential for severe thunderstorms Wednesday. This will be followed by drier conditions to conclude the work week, with additional showers expected over the weekend.