As a part of the Juneteenth holiday celebration, the City of Pompano Beach plans to support one of its beloved community investments, “Family Roots”. In 2003, the community in the northwest area of Pompano Beach had a sculpture custom created and installed by artist George Gadson at the E. Pat Larkins Community Center located at 520 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. This public artwork continues to pay tribute to the community by depicting “preservation of family heritage and identity.” Nineteen years later, the City plans to give the artwork a “make over”.
The City has hired Public Art Works, Inc., to restore the 12’ tall x 8’ wide x 6’ deep cast bronze sculpture and its granite pedestal engraved with names honoring unsung community heroes. Work began on June 15th and take approximately one week to complete. The bronze statue will be cleaned, striped of the patina and then reapplied, waxed and sealed, and then polished. For the marble base, they will reattach loose tiles, re-grout the seams, touch up paint on the engraved letters, and then polish the marble. The cost of the restoration is funded by the City’s Public Art Maintenance Fund.
Artist George Gadson who serves many communities in South Florida with public and private art commissions, speaking engagements and mentoring programs likes to say he creates art with a purpose. “It warms my heart to learn that Family Roots will be restored,” Gadson said. “This sculpture was created to empower the community with knowledge of their culture and heritage. A community without knowledge of their history is like a tree without roots.”
E. Pat Larkins Community Center is dedicated to Elijah Pat Larkins, the City’s first African American Mayor who served 19 consecutive years as City Commissioner and 7 terms as Mayor of Pompano Beach.
