Image by Gary Rohman, accessed at https://america250.org/engage/events/november-salute/
Today marks the exciting launch of a creative collaboration between The People’s Picture and America250 for its November Salute 2021 exhibition. The People’s Picture, our client, is a photography and design studio focusing on cutting-edge projects that meld design and technology. Its founder, Helen Marshall, is a British artist who believes in the power of photography as a visual storytelling medium that brings communities together to engage in storytelling that creates, celebrates, and owns their unique legacies. The studio specializes in photo mosaics and installations. Referring to her experience working with our legal team, Ms. Marshall stated, “It was a special experience working with Amineddoleh & Associates, as we started our journey incorporating our company in the US. Our work is I hope by nature, collaborative and egalitarian, and it felt streamlined and in tune with the firm from start to finish, with your very particular attention to detail.”
Our client was commissioned to create a digital photo mosaic and art installation depicting WWI hero Sgt. Henry Johnson in honor of the centennial of the dedication of the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. Henry Johnson was an African American soldier who received the French Croix de Guerre avec Palme, the country’s highest award, for his valor in combat. He was one of the first Americans to receive this distinction, and his accomplishments include saving a fellow soldier from being taken prisoner by German forces and engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat despite his own severe wounds. Sgt. Johnson was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002, and the Medal of Honor in 2015. President Theodore Roosevelt referred to him as “one of the five bravest American soldiers in the war.” Sgt. Johnson was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery after his death in 1929.
The installation is currently on display at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri and is available for exploration online at the America250 website. We invite readers to explore the interactive digital mosaic, which is composed of photos and stories celebrating US military veterans, active-duty service members, reservists, and guard members submitted by the public, combined with images from the National WWI Museum and Memorial Archive. It has been an honor for our firm to work with The People’s Picture, America250, and the National WWI Museum and Memorial to help make this work come to fruition.
Thank you to all the veterans for your service as we honor you on this Veterans Day.