The pubic art project, A Monumental Journey, was designed by internationally acclaimed artist Kerry James Marshall. It is a massive masonry structure built to commemorate the founding of the National Bar Association, the first bar association in
the United States to admit African American attorneys, in Des Moines in 1925. Now the oldest and largest legal association to primarily serve black lawyers, the National Bar Association represents members in the US, Africa, the UK, Canada, and the Virgin Islands. The monument gives overdue recognition to this important chapter in Iowa history.

Marshall was inspired by African “talking drums” that use a nuanced musical language for communication in traditional African cultures. The black earthen bricks reflect the material often employed by African builders and are a reminder that Americans of African descent constructed much of the historical architecture of the United States. Each hand-made, hand-laid brick recalls the labor of these workers, many of whom were victims of racism. A Monumental Journey consists of two truncated partial cones (drum-forms), one sitting atop the other in a precarious cantilevered arrangement. The upper drum is off-center atop the bottom drum, giving the sculpture a precarious tension that suggests a struggle to maintain balance and equilibrium. The sculpture reminds us that the quest for equality and perfect balance is not yet achieved.

Supporters of A Monumental Journey include the black legal community with representatives across the United States, Polk County and City of Des Moines, private and public foundations, businesses, and organizations, including the National Bar Association, NAACP, Drake University, as well as hundreds of individuals.