Visual OriginalPortfolio ↗

Cultural Heritage Monuments · Est. 2004 · Derrick J. Monk, Lead Artist

Where history
becomes monument.

Monumental public art, memorials and interpretive installations that preserve the stories of communities for generations.

Explore Monument ProjectsDevelop a Cultural Heritage Project
Derrick J. Monk at work, welding helmet raised

Derrick J. Monk

Lead Artist, Founder, Educator & Fabricator

The Visual Original Process

  1. 01

    Historical research

  2. 02

    Community engagement

  3. 03

    Sculpture

  4. 04

    Metal casting

  5. 05

    Interpretive storytelling

  6. 06

    Installation

One studio carries every commission through all six stages — from first research to final installation.

Our Category

Cultural heritage monuments

Visual Original Customs creates cultural heritage monuments that combine monumental sculpture, metal casting, architectural fabrication and historical interpretation to preserve the people, places and stories that shape a community.

Discipline

Monumental sculpture

Discipline

Metal casting

Discipline

Architectural fabrication

Discipline

Historical interpretation

Custom Memorials ✦Public Art & Sculpture ✦Original Works ✦Private Commissions ✦Project Consulting ✦Installation & Logistics ✦Custom Memorials ✦Public Art & Sculpture ✦Original Works ✦Private Commissions ✦Project Consulting ✦Installation & Logistics ✦

01 · Meet the Lead Artist

A practice rooted in history, community, and craft.

Led by Lead Artist and founder Derrick J. Monk, the Visual Original Sculpture Team centers its practice on creating iconic public artworks that celebrate history, strengthen community identity, and contribute to creative placemaking through contemporary sculpture.

Our artistic approach combines deep historical research, robust community engagement, and technically sophisticated fabrication. We have successfully led large-scale public art projects from concept through installation, collaborating closely with municipalities, engineers, historians, and community stakeholders.

Every project begins with an understanding of the site's history and community, resulting in enduring artworks that honor place, inspire connection, and create lasting cultural and economic value for generations.

Service

Custom Memorials

Service

Public Art & Sculpture

Service

Original Works

Service

Private Commissions

Service

Project Consulting

Service

Installation & Logistics

Derrick J. Monk · The practice

Public sculpture as cultural preservation.

Derrick J. Monk is a public artist, sculptor, educator, and cultural preservationist whose work transforms community histories, shared values, and artistic legacies into enduring public landmarks. Through Visual Original Customs, Monk combines historical research, community engagement, traditional metal-casting techniques, contemporary fabrication, and interpretive storytelling to create and restore artworks that honor the people and experiences shaping local identity.

Preserving stories
Recognizing overlooked histories, creative traditions, and the people who shaped a community.
Connecting generations
Sharing knowledge through participation, craftsmanship, and historical learning.
Honoring place
Creating and caring for landmarks rooted in local identity and everyday public life.
Explore the sculpture portfolio

02 · Visual Originals Artists Team

Working shoulder to shoulder with trusted production partners.

Derrick J. Monk collaborates with a bench of engineers, fabricators, foundry specialists, and installers to bring complex visions to life — coordinating the many hands and disciplines a permanent public artwork demands.

Live bronze pour · mobile foundry
01Live bronze pour · mobile foundry
On-site demonstration & instruction
02On-site demonstration & instruction
Cast aluminum figure, in progress
03Cast aluminum figure, in progress
Studio critique with young makers
04Studio critique with young makers
Bronze commissions · public collections
05Bronze commissions · public collections
Mr. Imagination wall restoration · on-site fabrication
06Mr. Imagination wall restoration · on-site fabrication

03 · Public Art Projects

Selected works & regional milestones.

Explore how each sculpture preserves cultural memory, connects generations, and honors the communities it represents.

View the full sculpture portfolio ↗

Flagship Case Study · St. Charles Parish, Louisiana

The 43 Trailblazers Memorial

In 1965–66, approximately 43 Black students volunteered to transfer to previously all-white schools in St. Charles Parish. The memorial gives that story permanent physical form — courage honored in bronze, every name cast in brass for the permanent record.

The commission moved through the studio's full process: archival research and interviews, a metal-casting workshop where students sculpted elements in foam that were then cast in metal and built into the memorial's benches, on-site fabrication, and a public dedication the Trailblazers returned for.

Read the case study ↗Preserve the 43 | Trailblazers Documentary
Commission
St. Charles Parish Public Schools
Dedicated
September 23, 2026 · Central Office, Luling
Community
Student castings built into the memorial's benches
Materials
Bronze · Brass · Architectural form

A documentary is in production to preserve the voices behind the monument. Support its completion on the Preserve the 43 site.

Standing with Strength and Courage
Work · 012026

Standing with Strength and Courage

Durham County Board of Elections · Durham, NC

A civic monument to the strength and courage of casting one's vote, regardless of political affiliation.

Client
Durham County
Year
2026
Budget
$100,000
Dimensions
16′ × 4′ × 4′
Materials
316L Stainless Steel, Powder-Coated Aluminum & Brass
Studio Role
Lead Artist, designer and fabrication lead.
+ Read the project story
Scope
Concept design, engineering coordination, fabrication and installation of a freestanding civic monument for the Board of Elections site.
Community Engagement
Public input sessions with voters, poll workers and county stakeholders shaped the monument's imagery and message.
Project Partners
Durham County, structural engineer, local installation contractor.
Fabrication Process
Stainless steel structure fabricated in-studio; brass elements cast and finished by hand; aluminum components powder-coated for exterior durability.
Installation
Engineered foundation, site-crane placement and final finishing on site.
Outcome
A permanent civic landmark honoring the act of voting as a shared community value.
Blooming Together
Work · 022024

Blooming Together

Winston-Salem, NC

A sculptural bloom for the partner organizations serving seniors and their families through arts and wellness.

Client
Intergenerational Center for Arts & Wellness
Year
2024
Budget
$95,000
Dimensions
16′ × 10′ × 10′
Materials
316L Stainless Steel & Brass
Studio Role
Lead Artist, designer and fabricator.
+ Read the project story
Scope
Design, fabrication and installation of a monumental outdoor sculpture for a new intergenerational campus.
Community Engagement
Workshops with seniors, families and partner organizations informed the floral forms and their symbolism.
Project Partners
Intergenerational Center partner organizations, engineering and installation teams.
Fabrication Process
Petal forms cut, formed and welded in marine-grade stainless steel with hand-finished brass accents.
Installation
Engineered footing and crane installation on the center's grounds.
Outcome
A gathering point that symbolizes generations growing together through the arts.
Mr. Imagination Wall Restoration
Work · 032021

Mr. Imagination Wall Restoration

WSTA Bus Station · Winston-Salem, NC

Contributing lead artist on the community restoration of the Mr. Imagination wall and bench for the City of Winston-Salem and SECCA.

Client
City of Winston-Salem & SECCA
Year
2021
Budget
$25,000
Dimensions
20′ × 5′ × 7′
Materials
Ferro Cement & Mixed Found Objects
Studio Role
Contributing Lead Artist.
+ Read the project story
Scope
Conservation and restoration of a beloved public wall and bench by the late artist Mr. Imagination (Gregory Warmack).
Community Engagement
Community volunteers and local artists participated in restoration days, reconnecting residents with the work.
Project Partners
City of Winston-Salem, SECCA, WSTA, community volunteers.
Fabrication Process
Ferro-cement repair, re-setting and replacement of found-object inlays faithful to the original artist's intent.
Installation
On-site restoration at an active transit station.
Outcome
A preserved piece of Winston-Salem's cultural history returned to daily public life.
In the Face of Strange Fruit
Work · 042007

In the Face of Strange Fruit

Greensboro, NC

A bronze meditation on the cultural history of Black America, taking its title from Billie Holiday's ‘Strange Fruit.’

Client
Cultural Arts Center
Year
2007
Budget
$17,500
Dimensions
15" × 15" × 18"
Materials
Lost-Wax Bronze Casting
Studio Role
Artist — sculpting, mold-making, casting and patina.
+ Read the project story
Scope
Original sculpture, sculpted, cast and patinated in bronze.
Community Engagement
Exhibited publicly as a catalyst for dialogue on history, memory and justice.
Project Partners
Cultural Arts Center, Greensboro.
Fabrication Process
Hand-sculpted original, lost-wax investment, bronze pour, chasing and hand-applied patina.
Installation
Pedestal installation for interior exhibition.
Outcome
An early cornerstone of the studio's commitment to interpreting Black history through bronze.

04 · Community Engagement & Public Art Initiative

The Foot Prints Method

From community story to permanent monument.

The Foot Prints Project is our mobile metal-casting workshop and our roadmap to cultural public memorials and sculptures in established and new communities. It is also the operating model of this studio: nine stages that carry a community's story from the first conversation to a documented, permanent public landmark.

Derrick Monk works with community partners to develop and create new public artworks, and to revitalize existing sculptures, in both established and new public spaces.

The methodology · nine stages

Listen → Preserve

  1. 01

    Listen

    Community stories and historical research.

    Research

  2. 02

    Learn

    Archival research, educators, historians and local knowledge.

    Research

  3. 03

    Engage

    Students and community members participate.

    Participation

  4. 04

    Create

    Sketches, maquettes and sculptural development.

    Participation

  5. 05

    Cast

    Metal casting transforms participation into permanent artifacts.

    Participation

  6. 06

    Build

    Monumental sculpture and architectural elements.

    Monument

  7. 07

    Interpret

    Brass murals, names, timelines, quotations and historical material.

    Monument

  8. 08

    Install

    A permanent public landmark.

    Monument

  9. 09

    Preserve

    Documentary, educational materials and digital archives.

    Legacy

01 – 02 · Research

03 – 05 · Participation

06 – 08 · Monument

09 · Legacy

The differentiator

Most public-art firms stop at three stages.

Design, fabricate, install — the ribbon is cut and a community is left with an object it never made. The Foot Prints Method keeps going until the story is documented, taught and archived.

Typical public-art practice

DesignFabricateInstallStops here

The Foot Prints Method

DesignFabricateInstallDocumentEducatePreserve

Already in the field

Preserving the 43 is already demonstrating it.

The 43 Trailblazers Memorial ran the full method: community research, student castings in the memorial benches, bronze and brass interpretive details, a permanent installation — and a documentary now in production to preserve the voices behind it.

Watch the documentaryRead the case study

Inside the method · the mobile foundry

Where the workshop sits in the process.

Community engagement is an essential part of our public art practice. In partnership with local organizations and residents, we facilitate an interactive mobile metal casting workshop at or near each project site. Participants design small figures, symbols, and culturally inspired objects rooted in local history using carved foam patterns — then watch them transformed into cast aluminum sculptures during a live pour.

The workshop introduces the traditional craft of metal casting and blacksmithing, and highlights the vital role these trades played throughout early history. Beyond demonstrating the process, it creates meaningful opportunities for learning, storytelling, and participation.

Selected cast aluminum objects created during these workshops may be permanently incorporated into the project — installed within the concrete base or integrated onto the sculptural bases themselves — creating a lasting legacy embedded within the artwork itself.

Live metal pour at a mobile foundry
Workshop with students
Cast aluminum piece held up after the pour
Derrick Monk teaching a workshop

Support the Foot Prints Project

Make a difference in the communities we serve.

Individuals, company sponsors, and community partners can help bring mobile metal-casting workshops, educational programming, and permanent public art to the neighborhoods Derrick Monk is working in collaboration with.

Tell us how you'd like to get involved — charitable giving, corporate sponsorship, or in-kind partnership — and we'll follow up personally.

Or email dmonk@visualoriginalcustoms.com

20+

Years of practice

100%

Community-engaged

∞

Stories cast in metal

05 · Custom Art Creation Inquiry

Begin a commission, consultation, or installation.

Municipalities · private collectors · cultural institutions.