A Public Art Installation in Celebration Of Lewis H. Latimer’s Legacy Set for June 10

Chelsea Lewis H. Latimer Society and the City of Chelsea are pleased to welcome ‘BEACON,’ a 12-foot-tall steel, interactive LED public art sculpture inspired by the African American pioneer inventor and electrical engineer Lewis H. Latimer and his electric lamp. BEACON was made possible by the collaboration between artist Shervone Neckles, youth empowerment organization Beam Center, and the Lewis Latimer House Museum.

BEACON is designed as an intergenerational pedagogical tool bridging the humanities and STEAM disciplines. Before arriving in Chelsea, BEACON has traveled from the Lewis Latimer House Museum (Flushing, NY) to Albee Square Plaza (Downtown Brooklyn, NY), and the Museum of Science (Boston, MA). Until October, all Chelsea residents and visitors can visit this itinerant art installation for free at the Civil War Monument, across from City Hall. The Opening Ceremony will be held this Saturday, June 10, from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Learn more about the project at https://shervoneneckles.com/home.html

Lewis Latimer was known as the first great African American inventor. Latimer was born in 1848 in Chelsea and helped to design and patent the telephone while working for Alexander Graham Bell, and also to perfect the incandescent light bulb, while working with Thomas Edison and Hiram Maxim. Latimer grew up in Chelsea and lied about his age to enlist in the Navy during the Civil War. There he honed his knack for inventions, and following the war became an invaluable partner to Edison due to Latimer's knowledge of electrical engineering and patents.