Five Ton Crane is proud to be an 2026 Fiscal Sponsor for The Circle of Ancestors.

Lead Artist :: Maurice Cavness

Circle of Ancestors is a monumental installation comprising a series of approximately 10-foot-tall figurative steel statues. The work represents a fusion of high-end industrial metalwork and traditional cultural motifs, creating a space designed for community ceremony and reflection.

Materiality and Construction
The figures are defined by a vibrant "steel patchwork" technique. Maurice Cavness utilizes exterior autobody-grade paint on individual metal segments, which are then welded together to simulate the appearance of a flowing, draped quilt. This colorful "quiltage" is secured to a robust internal framework, anchored by a heavy-duty bolted flange.

Visual Elements

• The Contrast: The exuberant, multi-colored patchwork of the bodies creates a sharp visual juxtaposition against the hand-carved black or brown wooden heads that crown each structure.
• The Inner Glow: A halo of light emanates from the collar of each quilt, illuminating the ancestors' faces from below. This light suggests a spiritual presence—an internal life force glowing from within the metal.
• The Silhouette: Inspired by the regal stature of the Maasai people in the African Safari, the statues possess a commanding verticality that demands presence within an urban landscape.

Cultural Significance
The installation is arranged to invite the viewer into its center. By stepping into the "Circle," the observer becomes the bridge between the ancestors (the past) and the potential of the future. It serves as a permanent backdrop for new beginnings, framing the human experience as a collective—much like flowers are to a single, expansive tree.

Artist Statement: Maurice Cavness
I am a child of San Francisco, a city built on layers of fog, steel, and the dreams of those who traveled thousands of miles to find it. My work as a sculptor and metalworker is an ongoing dialogue with this city, but the foundation of that dialogue was laid long before I was born. It began with my grandmother, who arrived in San Francisco as part of the Great Migration—the historic movement of millions of African Americans seeking refuge and opportunity away from the Jim Crow South.

Like the families described in Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns, my grandmother’s journey was an act of profound courage and a search for a "stardom" that wasn't defined by fame, but by the simple, radical right to peace and self-determination. She brought with her the "connecting threads" of our family history, which she wove into the life she built here in the Bay Area. In Circle of Ancestors, these threads become literal. The steel patchwork "quilt" that drapes each ten-foot figure is a tribute to the resilience of those migrants. A quilt is a collection of fragments—scraps of history, labor, and memory—welded together to create something that protects and provides warmth.

For twenty years, I have built homes and mentored artists in Oakland and San Francisco, always carrying the weight of that migration with me. This sculpture is my way of reclaiming our narrative. It pivots away from the horrors often highlighted in our past to focus on the stardom and peace my grandmother sought. By stepping into the center of this circle, you aren't just looking at art; you are stepping into the "central tie" of a lineage. You are standing where the past meets the future, invited to be part of a collective that—like a tree and its flowers—is sustained by roots that traveled far to find home.

Physical description:

Physical description of the artwork: Approximately 10-foot-tall figurative steel statues. Steel patchwork referencing a draped, 'flowing' quilt around the statues' bodies. The quilted look will be achieved by painting separate pieces of metal with exterior autobody grade paint, welding them together, then welding the "quiltage" to a supportive framework below. This framework is attached to a bolted flange that acts as an anchor, and the wooden head of the ancestors is bolted to the top of the framework structure. With a halo of light illuminating the faces of the ancestors emanating from the collar of the quilt, as if something was glowing from within. Visual impact, inspired by the Maasai people and their garments, as they stand together in the African Safari. The patchwork that makes up the quilt will form a juxtaposition against the black or brown wooden heads, by being extremely colorful.