Documented artwork / water sculpture and gateway
Passage
Credit as documented: Larry Kirkland
Passage creates a water-marked threshold at Atlanta's National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Two leaning structures of glass and stainless steel form a gateway, joining the movement of water to language about the struggle for rights. Kirkland identifies engraved texts by Nelson Mandela and Margaret Mead, while flowing water recalls a further quotation associated with Martin Luther King. The artist describes an unusually rapid process: conception, commissioning, construction and installation took less than eight months.
Already working on a project?
Adds directly to your existing saved project and keeps its brief intact.Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.

At a glance
- Year / version
- Not documented
- Materials
- glass, stainless steel, water
- Documented setting
- unknown
- Dimensions
- 36 ft × 24 ft × 24 ft.
- Dimensions apply to
- Published overall figures; axes unlabelled.
- Availability
- Unconfirmed
Places & versions
Installation history
Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.
Date not documented
National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta, Georgia
- Site
- National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- City
- Atlanta
- State / region
- GA
- Country
- United States (inferred; not independently confirmed)
Installation details checked 2026-10-17.
Materials and construction
The published design team comprises Joel Straus Consulting, John Grant and Junoworks, and Fluidity Design. Glass carries the engraving while water passes over its surface.
Presentation and site context
The paired forms stand at the museum approach, using a passage between sculptural elements to connect the visitor's arrival with the institution's subject.
From a reference to your project
Keep the idea.
Shape the brief.
Save this reference to your shortlist while you explore. Review your selection, then carry the references you choose into a commissioning brief for your site, audience, timing and open questions.
Your shortlist is saved on this device. Saving a reference does not contact the artist or reserve a work. Participation, availability, price and site suitability need confirmation.
Plan the next step
Sources
- larrykirkland.com ↗ · Checked 2026-10-17