Alabama artist Lonnie Holley transforms the detritus of society into powerful critiques of social ills such as unwanted children, racial injustice, religious hypocrisy, environmental destruction, technological progress, and violent crime. In Obstacles before the Goal, one of Holley’s most straightforward works, the trapped soccer ball symbolizes the obstacles that prevent an individual from achieving success. Holley envisions life as a strategic contest—a game that demands mindfulness, discipline, and endurance.