Love at first sight.
A dream for years, the outdoor, interactive walls of The Soul of Philanthropy exhibit were installed on February 18 (two days before the exhibition’s opening) outside the venerable façade of Biddle Hall—the heart of Johnson C. Smith University. In pure ecstasy, at the sight of a dream come true, I, along with a flurry of snowflakes, danced about and melted at the site. My long labor of love, about the love of humanity, had manifested a momentary monument to love itself.
For 98 days, my giant love magnet drew to its walls crews of JCSU students, curious campus guests and social media-savvy visitors to the exhibition in the library’s gallery. Every day a fresh canvas, the walls invited, captured, presented, broadcast and reframed portraits of philanthropy.
Yesterday—after our grand opening event, the snow left, springtime arrived, founders week passed, commencement ended and nearly a semester on campus—the “love walls” came down. You’re sure to see the structure (and bits of colored chalk) pop up some place new soon. In the meantime, below is a photo slideshow from the 98-day reign of LOVE at Smith.