
Photo // Claire McKenna
THE LIGHT OF TRUTH. The documentary’s poster shows Ida B. Wells and the statue Richard Hunt had made in dedication to her.
By: Claire McKenna
Staff-Writer
On Feb. 25, the documentary “The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells”, presented by the CUBE, was shown in the Wiekamp auditorium as part of Black History Month and the filmmakers’ university tour. The film commemorated the works of Richard Hunt, a famous American sculptor, and his piece dedicated to Ida B. Wells, an American investigative journalist, early Civil Rights leader and a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The film discussed Wells’ life and achievements as a major influence throughout the late 18th century as well as Hunt’s career and achievements as a sculptor, including his process of making Light of Truth, his monument to Wells. The two lives intertwine as the film follows the two to Chicago, where Wells goes to protest at the Chicago World’s Fair and Hunt takes over the area with his sculptures, placing the Light of Truth sculpture in the middle of the former Ida B. Wells Homes complex, which is on the South side of Chicago.
After the film, Director Rana Segal, Producer Laurie Little and Vincent Singleton, main camera director and producer, sat for a Q&A session with the audience. One viewer asked why they decided to include both Hunt’s process with making the sculpture and Wells and intertwine their stories. Singleton found that it was interesting to find parallels between the two.
“The comparison between Ida B. Wells and Richard Hunt really explores the way that art or writing or any kind of manifestation of ideas can be used to bring ideas of justice and whatnot to the forefront,” Singleton said. “So, I think it seems really clear that there is a parallel between what those two individuals were doing with their works.”
Segal noted that they were not aware of how many parallels they would find.
The film won the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival and aired on PBS Feb. 27. The filmmakers are now working on another documentary, focusing solely on Hunt and his life and achievements, titled “Richard Hunt: A Monumental Life”. The filmmakers have put up a Go Fund Me to support their production costs for this project.