A new art installation at Birmingham-Southern College entitled "The Hate Project" fixes the spotlight on hate -- the 1,007 hate groups that are currently operating in the United States to be exact.
Steve Cole, Art and Art History Professor at Birmingham-Southern College, created figurines portraying the various hate groups in the country such as the Ku Klux Klan, anti-gay groups, Neo-Nazis, and more. The exhibition coincides with the 50th anniversary of the bombing at Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church, which killed four young girls on September 15, 1963.
When asked why he created the installation, Cole told The Huffington Post:
Your world perspective changes as you get older and have children. Somewhere along the line you feel the need to make a difference. Art is my voice and visual imagery can be a powerful tool to illustrate a problem. By seeing the vast number of hate groups on a large-scale installation, I can see the problem clearer and I hope that others will as well.
The project, which took three years to complete, is displayed in conjunction with Birmingham's Forward Ever, Birmingham project, to commemorate the many events which took place in 1963 and that many point to as a turning point in the Civil Rights movement.
Click through the slideshow below to see pictures from the exhibit. If you are in the Birmingham area, there will be a lecture with Cole at the college on Thursday, September 26.
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