Anderson Bonner tribute by Andrew Scott, via Dallas Office of Arts and Culture website
A tribute sculpture by sculptor and digital artist Andrew Scott will go up in May 2022 at Anderson Bonner Park.
The piece is titled “Sankofa.”
“Sankofa is a word rooted in the Twi language of Ghana. Within the context of Asante culture, it embodies the concept ‘Go back and fetch it,’” Scott writes on his site.
Here’s a brief description of the sculpture, but it’s also pictured above.
A bird holds down an egg on its back with its beak. In the center of the bird’s body is a sculpted portrait of Bonner. The entire sculpture stands on a two-tiered base with the word “sankofa” across it.
Now, just who is Anderson Bonner?
Anderson Bonner was a former slave who became an entrepreneur and landowner. He came to Dallas in 1870.
He owned land mainly along White Rock Creek in the far north of Lake Highlands, Richardson, North Dallas. Where the park now sits was once part of the 2,000 acres that Bonner owned in Dallas.
His first home, in fact, was in White Rock Creek.
Though he was illiterate and couldn’t write, he always signed his documents with an “X,” according to Texas State Historical Association.
Anderson Bonner Park is located at 12000 Park Central Dr.
