| Our Lady of Ferguson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Mark Doox |
| Year | 2015 |
| Type | icon, acrylic collage |
| Location | Cathedral of St. John the Divine |
Our Lady, Mother of Ferguson and All Those Killed by Gun Violence, simply known asOur Lady of Ferguson, is anicon of theMadonna and Child. The icon, which depicts theVirgin Mary as aBlack Madonna, was created in 2015 by Mark Doox (formerly Mark Dukes), aniconographer, and was commissioned by the Rev. Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones, anEpiscopal priest atTrinity Church inNew York City. The icon, created after theshooting of Michael Brown inFerguson, Missouri, has been referenced as a symbol againstgun violence, particularly towards members of theAfrican-American community in the United States.
The icon of Our Lady of Ferguson was created in 2015 by Mark Dukes, an iconographer who has written icons for theEpiscopal Church and theAfrican Orthodox Church and was commissioned by Rev. Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones, an Episcopal priest atTrinity Church in New York City.[1][2] The icon was painted in theByzantine style using acrylic paint and collage techniques.[1] Our Lady of Ferguson depicts the Virgin Mary as aBlack Madonna, holding her hands up. Where her womb would be located, there is a small black silhouette of theChild Jesus, with theSacred Heart of Jesus, also with his hands and arms extended, in the crosshairs of a gun.[3] The posture taken by both Jesus and Mary are a reference to "Hands up, don't shoot", a popular slogan associated with protestingpolice brutality after theShooting of Michael Brown inFerguson, Missouri.[2] The position of the hands is also in theorans posture found in other Christian icons.[2] The icon focuses onMarian intercession against police brutality andgun violence, particularly towardspeople of color.[4][5][6]
The icon received publicity after FatherJames Martin, an AmericanJesuit priest and author, shared a photograph of the icon onFacebook on June 9, 2016.[2][7] In his post, Martin wrote "Our Lady prays for all who are targeted by gun violence: African-Americans, the poor and marginalized, and police officers. All are her children. All are our brothers and sisters. Let us ask Our Lady to pray for us".[2][3]
The icon, used by Anglicans and Catholics, has been displayed at Trinity Church and at theJesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University's Gesù Chapel.[5] It is currently on long-term loan to theCathedral of Saint John the Divine, the mother church of theEpiscopal Diocese of New York.
