"Early Wednesday morning, a 3,000-pound ice sculpture spelling the word "DEMOCRACY" was transported from a New York studio to the National Mall by artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese, known as LigoranoReese. To deliver the metaphor, the artists had partnered with Up In Arms, an organization started by Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen, who is known as much for his activism as his ice cream."
"When I arrived at Union Plaza, in front of the US Capitol, the blazing sun prompted me to take off my jacket, but the sculpture was draped in its own covering. The heat on democracy was hotter than planned. 'We're just trying to keep democracy on ice and preserved as long as we can,' Ligorana said, so that, following its unveiling at a press conference, the sculpture would slowly collapse and melt away, for all to see."
"Each speaker issued stark warnings about the administration's actions and the dangers they fear are tearing apart American democracy. Throughout the conference, water dripped down the letters, forming a continuous stream. Democracy began to melt in plain view of the Capitol, where a gridlocked legislative branch had, at that point, kept the federal funding taps turned off for a 14th day."
An ice sculpture reading "DEMOCRACY" was transported to the National Mall by Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese in partnership with Up In Arms, founded by Ben Cohen. The installation conveyed America's weakened democracy and warned of growing militarism and authoritarianism by transforming the abstract concept into a visible loss. The sculpture was unveiled at Union Plaza before the US Capitol under a blazing sun, then slowly melted as water streamed down its letters. Religious, policy and free-speech figures warned about administration actions and democratic erosion while a gridlocked Congress left federal funding paused for a 14th day.
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