The Promised Land
Corrina Mensoff
2008
Painted mild steel, forged steel
The Promised Land is a steel piece by metalsmith and Atlanta-based artist, Corrina Sephora Mensoff. The title references words from the last speech Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave prior to his assassination, “I’ve been to the mountaintop…And I’ve seen the Promised Land.” The bridge in the center of the piece is modeled after the Edmond Pettius Bridge in Alabama, which was a symbolic obstacle to cross in the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery. At the end of the road is an equal sign, which was the insignia for CORE, a multi-ethnic activist group during the Civil Rights Movement. A profile of Dr. King is hidden on the right side within the mountain crags. On the left is the profile of Coretta Scott King.
Corrina Sephora Mensoff began her life-long interest in metalworking at the age of five in her father’s workshop. After receiving her BFA in Sculpture and Metalsmithing from the Massachusetts College of Art (Boston) in 1995, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she created a self-guided journeyman’s apprenticeship. Two years later, she established Phoenix Metalworks, specializing in sculpture, furniture, and architectural works. In 2005, Ms. Mensoff received her MFA in Sculpture from Georgia State University. Her metalwork is on permanent display in Atlanta at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Temple Sinai, the Martin Luther King Natatorium, and in many private collections nationally.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Natatorium
70 Boulevard Dr NE
Atlanta, GA 30312