Joe Minter (born March 28, 1943) is an African American sculptor based in Birmingham, Alabama.
[4] After the military, Minter took a series of low-paying jobs, from dishwasher at a drive-in, to messenger and orderly hospital work.
[5] The African Village in America is an ever-evolving art environment, populated by sculptures made from scrap and found materials from footwear, lawn decorations, toys, old sporting equipment, to baking utensils, and more.
[6][7] Although Minter's sculpture have a variety of themes and influences, from one commemorating the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to one dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Minter's overriding message is to provide a recognition for the 388,000 Africans shipped in bondage to America, and to their descendants who helped to build and defend America.
[4] The sculptures in the African Village in America tell the stories of African-Americans over the centuries, from the griots and warriors of West Africa to the deadly 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church.