Mayor Jim Kenney and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy have withdrawn the $500,000 no-bid commission for a new Harriet Tubman statue and will now open the process for other artists.
A statement from the Creative Philly office released Tuesday afternoon said city officials have heard the public outcry against awarding the commission to Wesley Wofford, a white artist from North Carolina, after he brought a traveling version of his statue,The Creative Philly statement came four days after Theon Aug. 26 that seven City Council members had sent a letter to Creative Philly to say they agreed with community advocates calling for a more open process.
Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza, a spokeswoman for the Celebrating the Legacy of Nana Harriet Tubman Committee, which has strongly condemned the no-bid process, said that she and other Black artists told city officials last March, when the Wofford commission was announced, that there should have been a process that allowed other artists to show their visions of Tubman.
“I’m just very proud for everyone who stuck together, who did the research and all the advocacy and lobbying. I’m just proud of every member of our committee.”, and collected signatures for in-person petitions from churches and community centers.$500K Harriet Tubman statue controversy gets national attention, prompts a petition, and elicits the sculptor’s response
Tubman, who was born enslaved, escaped from Maryland, headed north, but later returned south several times to lead scores of people to freedom on the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses and trails.“The arts community demanded that the permanent Harriet Tubman statue be commissioned by a local, Philadelphia artist and it is important that City Council be listening and responsive,” Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said in a statement Tuesday.
The Creative Philly news release said the open call for artists will be announced before the end of 2022, and plans to announce the selected artist and design by fall 2023, with the hope to have the project completed and installed by fall 2024.
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