In 2021, the New York City Public Design Commission generated heated controversy when it removed a statue of Thomas Jefferson from City Hall after 187 years. Now, America’s largest city is once again abuzz with statue talk for a different reason: a new 12-foot-tall bronze sculpture of an overweight black woman that appeared in Times Square this week.

The first question that comes to mind upon seeing the new “art installation” is obvious – why?

The answer is perhaps just as obvious. Like all modern art that our cultural elites insist we view as “brave” and “groundbreaking,” the Times Square Arts Association tells us that the piece, titled Grounded in the Stars, “cuts a stark contrast to the pedestaled permanent monuments – both white, both men, which bookend Duffy Square.”

In other words, it’s about identity politics and forcing Times Square’s 131 million annual visitors to, as the arts association puts it “confront preconceived notions of identity and representation” – whatever that means.

Of course, any criticism of the statue will instantly be met with cries of racism and misogyny from the left. The left’s “intersectional” dogma tells us that women of color are at the top of the victim hierarchy, and therefore they – or any representations of them – are above any and all critique.

At the risk of invoking the wrath of the left-wing cancel culture mob, it’s worth examining this incident as one of the clearest examples yet of just how hollow and dismal leftism is. The statue perfectly captures why liberals are far less happy than conservatives on average and why modern art generally has become so devoid of beauty and substance.

The arts association unintentionally makes this point themselves when they note that the point of the new statue is to “contrast” two other nearby statues. In other words, Grounded isn’t intended to exist as an object that evokes a thoughtful or emotional response in its own right. It just exists to undermine and tear down two other nearby statues.

And just who do those two other statues depict? The arts association doesn’t tell us, but a quick Google search reveals that one of those “white men” is Father Francis Duffy, a highly decorated World War I cleric. Duffy fearlessly accompanied soldiers in battle, earning the Distinguished Service Cross for tirelessly caring for wounded and dying men on the Western Front.

The other “white man” we are told needs a “contrast” is George C. Cohan, the man NPR says “created Broadway.” He authored more than 50 shows and 300 songs throughout the course of his career.

No wonder the arts association doesn’t want to mention their names – it instantly reveals how ridiculous it is to erect a statue for the sole purpose of “contrasting” them. If Grounded is supposed to contrast a war hero and an iconic entertainer, then we should see the statue as representative of the opposite of the virtues embodied by Duffy and Cohan – hardly a ringing endorsement of the work.

It’s also worth noting that there was a conscious choice made to create a statue that depicts a generic, nondescript woman, rather than a specific figure from history. There are plenty of worthwhile black women worth sculpting to honor their achievements – Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Ruby Bridges, just to name a few. Instead, the artist chose a rather unappealing depiction of a fictionalized overweight woman.

Just like the arts association chose a dehumanized, generic depiction of a black woman, they attempt to reduce Duffy and Cohan down to their identity as “white men.” We aren’t supposed to see anything other than their race and gender.

Here we see another defining feature of leftism that Grounded reveals. American leftists tear down this country’s greatest heroes (literally and figuratively), including Thomas Jefferson, but they have no heroes of their own. Everyone born before the advent of the left’s woke religion, even Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., whom prior generations held up as great champions of justice and equality, has been cast aside as “problematic.” No one has escaped the all-consuming vortex of left-wing cancel culture.

Leftism is, in other words, a fundamentally destructive ideology. It creates nothing, only seeking to destroy good and beautiful things that others have created.

It would be easy to dismiss Grounded as just another example of liberal virtue signaling, worthy of not much more than a chuckle and an eye roll. But the fact that it now sits in Times Square, a prominent symbol of American society, makes it worth a bit more consideration.

A society’s art is a reflection of what it values. In the ancient world, Roman artists crafted beautiful pots and frescoes depicting the exploits of the gods. In medieval times, European artists produced breathtaking tapestries and stained glass windows that portrayed stories from the Bible, a reflection of the centrality of Christianity in their lives.

In the early days of our own history, artists celebrated the founding generation. Scenes like George Washington crossing the Delaware or Paul Revere embarking on his famous midnight ride symbolized what the American people valued – strength, courage, and moral conviction.

In this sense, Grounded does convey one important, if depressing message: It speaks volumes about what our modern cultural gatekeepers now value – not excellence, beauty, or shared ideals, but grievance, resentment, and the erasure of individual human dignity.

By “contrasting” iconic figures who achieved greatness with anonymous abstractions, we abandon the very principles that once united and inspired us. A society that forgets its heroes and scorns its traditions cannot long endure. If we want future generations to cherish liberty, sacrifice, and achievement, we must once again celebrate through our art the people and principles that made those things possible.

Shane Harris is the Editor-in-Chief of AMAC Newsline. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.