Liberty Mutual Insurance Commissioned Poem as Gift to Museum
United States Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith wrote “Harbor” to celebrate the May 16 opening of the new Statue of Liberty Museum. The poem was commissioned by Liberty Mutual Insurance, lead corporate sponsor of the museum, as a gift to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.
Since 1886 the Statue of Liberty has welcomed visitors and newcomers to New York – and America – from across the globe. On May 16, a new museum opens on Liberty Island to celebrate the Statue of Liberty’s history, influence, and legacy in the world, and gives visitors an opportunity to get an up-close view of the Statue’s most iconic symbol – her original torch. To commemorate the opening, United States Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith (2017-2019) has written “Harbor,” a ghazal-form poem of hope that seeks a sense of communion and community across all forms of difference.
“Harbor” was accepted by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation as a gift from Liberty Mutual Insurance, the lead corporate sponsor of the new museum, which commissioned Smith to author a poem that celebrates what Lady Liberty means to the world today in the same vein of Emma Lazarus’ “The New Colossus” 136 years ago.
“‘Harbor’ is a beautiful embodiment of hope and the possibilities of what we as a people and a nation can and should be,” said Dawn Frazier-Bohnert, Chief Diversity Officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. “For nearly a century, Lady Liberty has served as an enduring symbol of our own mission to help people embrace today and confidently pursue tomorrow. We’re proud to present this gift and our support to help preserve her legacy of hope, enlightenment, and freedom for future generations.”
“It was my honor to create a poem in celebration of the hope and solace that Lady Liberty represents to those seeking this nation's shores,” said Smith. “‘Harbor’ imagines a version of healing and progress that arises not despite our many different histories, but precisely because of them.”
Smith will unveil “Harbor” during a reading shown at the Museum’s May 15 gala opening event.
Stranger, I find myself lost. Let us watch this new age gather
Overhead. Let’s see what rains onto unaccustomed skin.
Once, we were pelt, fur, hide. Only the seasons mattered. Now,
We shiver, crying out. Not from winter, but the fear in skin.
I see the tall masts of history in horizon fog. They dip
And rise. The tides they ride swell under human skin.
Be my guest. Drink tea, taste fruit and bread. The meat rests,
Cooling on the slab, but see how wine has flushed our skin?
This land you’ve sought is peopled with enemies and kin.
You’ll learn to read the whole long story written on skin.
We passengers wait. Our restless waiting forms an island.
One woman stands, sings. Her music enters through my skin.
Stranger, you’re the words to a hymn I’ve only ever hummed.
Come. Let’s erase the distance between skin and skin.
—Tracy K. Smith
As part of the Harvard University Class of 1994 25th Reunion, Smith has invited her classmate, composer Randall Eng, to set "Harbor" to music for soprano and orchestra. The new composition will be performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra during a private performance at Symphony Hall in Boston.
The new Statue of Liberty Museum opens to the public on May 16. Admission is included as part of a visitor’s ticket to Liberty Island. The 26,000 square foot museum includes three galleries, one of which is the Inspiration Gallery devoted to liberty today, made possible by a gift from Liberty Mutual. Here, visitors will find the Statue’s original torch, held high for nearly 100 years and still a touchstone of the light Liberty shines from generation to generation. Interpretive panels hear the torch recount the icon’s original design and how it changed over time to reflect the Statue’s changing role. The glass-framed gallery affords visitors stunning views of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor, and visitors see a dynamic presentation of historic images overlaid on the current view.
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About Liberty Mutual Insurance
Liberty Mutual’s purpose is to help people embrace today and confidently pursue tomorrow. The promise we make to our customers throughout the world is to provide protection for the unexpected, delivered with care.
In business since 1912, and headquartered in Boston, Mass., today we are the fifth largest global property and casualty insurer based on 2017 gross written premium. We also rank 68th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2017 revenue. As of December 31, 2018, we had $41.6 billion in annual consolidated revenue.
We employ nearly 50,000 people in 30 countries and economies around the world. We offer a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, specialty lines, reinsurance, commercial multiple-peril, workers compensation, commercial automobile, general liability, surety, and commercial property.
You can learn more about us by visiting www.libertymutualinsurance.com.
Media Contacts:
Glenn Greenberg
(617) 574-5874
glenn.greenberg@libertymutual.com
Matthew Briggs
(617) 502-4357
libertymutual@pancomm.com
