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Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee Public Meeting Thursday, May 30, 2013, 1:00 PM Via teleconference In attendance: Michael Bugeja Robert Hoge Erik Jansen Gary Marks (Chair) Michael Moran Michael Ross Donald Scarinci Jeanne Stevens-Sollman Thomas Uram Heidi Wastweet 1. Chairperson Marks called the meeting to order at 1:02 A.M. 2. April Stafford of the United States Mint introduced the discussion on design themes for the Congressional Gold Medal to Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley to commemorate the lives they lost 50 years ago in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Ms. Stafford commented that the tragic bombing of the church and the loss of the four girls served as a catalyst for the civil rights movement. Dr. Lawrence J. Pijeaux, Jr., President and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and liaison to the U.S. Mint for the congressional gold medal program, provided comments and insights regarding potential themes for the medal. Additional comments were provided by Laura Anderson, Archivist for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute; Priscilla Hancock Cooper, Vice President of Institutional Programs for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute; Lisa McNair, sister of Denise McNair; and Ahmad Ward, Head of Education and Exhibitions for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. 3. Members of the Committee commented that the designs for the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing needed to bring dignity to the subject matter and use symbolic or iconic images that speak to the subject at a higher level than merely illustrating images from photographs. Members noted the use of the word “sparked” in the legislation to describe the impact the bombing had on the world. Specifically, the legislation says the bombing “sparked” a movement that changed the world. It was suggested that the idea of a spark might provide an interesting thematic image for the medal. Members suggested that the use of a heart image in the designs. The idea of de-emphasizing images of the girls lost in the bombing in favor of symbolic portrayals, such as flowers to show the delicateness of their lives. Another suggestion was the image of an eye full of tears or an image of four tears. There was discussion on the idea that images not portray the “end of the story”; that the medal recognize that the struggle for civil rights continues. Members emphasized that simple designs that avoid clutter should be the goal for the artists. It was also suggested that the medal devote the obverse to memorializing the event and the reverse to portraying the outcome or the resolve that it produced. 4. There being no further business, Chairperson Marks adjourned the meeting at 2:13 p.m.
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