British artist Thomas J Price has unveiled a striking new public artwork in New York City’s Times Square: a 12-foot-tall bronze sculpture titled Grounded in the Stars. Installed at Broadway and 46th Street, this monumental figure portrays a fictional Black woman in everyday attire, standing confidently with hands on hips—a contemporary nod to classical sculpture.
The sculpture disrupts traditional ideas of heroism and challenges centuries of public monuments that have predominantly featured white male figures. Price reimagines monumentality by honoring the presence and dignity of everyday individuals often excluded from historical commemoration.
Midnight Moment Meets Monumental Art
Complementing the sculpture, Price’s Man Series—stop-motion animations of sculpted male heads—will take over Times Square’s massive digital screens nightly. As part of the Midnight Moment program, these animations will play across 95 billboards from 11:57 p.m. to midnight throughout May.
These heads, each carefully modeled and animated, invite viewers to pause and reflect on the complexity of identity and the emotional interiority of Black men—subjects rarely centered in this format, especially in the commercialized chaos of Times Square.
Reimagining Representation in Public Spaces
Grounded in the Stars is a profound meditation on who gets to be seen, celebrated, and remembered. By placing a fictional but deeply resonant figure in the epicenter of global advertising and tourism, Price asks passersby to confront what visibility truly means—and who it has historically excluded.
The sculpture will remain on view through June 17, 2025, offering both locals and visitors an opportunity to engage with art that reframes power, presence, and possibility in public life.
Join the Conversation
MEFeaters, what are your thoughts on the Thomas J Price Times Square installation and its powerful message of representation? Have you seen Grounded in the Stars in person? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know what public art means to you. Don’t forget to follow MEFeater on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more stories at the intersection of art, culture, and representation.
