Following controversy, 5 Black artists finalists for Tubman statue

The announcement comes just over a year after Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Creative Philly revealed that the city would award a no-bid $500,000 commission to a white male artist.

Five Black figurative artists have been selected as semi-finalists to erect a permanent Harriet Tubman statue in Philadelphia’s City Hall, a development following the controversy surrounding a $500,000 no-bid commission.

The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, also called Creative Philadelphia, announced Friday the selection of Tanda Francis, Vinnie Bagwell, Richard Blake, Alvin Pettit and Basil Watson to propose and, once chosen, ultimately create the statue, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

In 2019, the New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs hired Yonkers-based Bagwell to create a public piece to replace the monument of J. Marion Sims in Central Park. Sims was a gynecologist who performed experiments on Black enslaved women in the 19th century.

A private group last October commissioned Francis to design and sculpt a statue of famed opera singer and Philadelphia native Marian Anderson. It will stand in front of Philadelphia’s Academy of Music.

Francis, Bagwell, Blake and Pettit were also contenders for the Anderson statue.

Marguerite Anglin, Creative Philly’s public art director, said their work “illustrated their history of creating high-quality monumental statues that are both engaging and impactful,” The Inquirer reported.

Friday’s news came just over a year after Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Creative Philly announced that the city would award North Carolina-based sculptor Wesley Wofford — a white male — a $500,000 no-bid commission.

Wofford temporarily brought the traveling form of his Tubman statue, “The Journey to Freedom,” to Philadelphia last year to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolitionist’s birth, a sculpture that the city offered to buy after it got favorable reviews from crowds. But because his traveling work was a copy of a piece he’d designed for a Texas-based client, Wofford said he couldn’t sell it.

Last June, Creative Philly hosted a virtual public meeting to get feedback from Philadelphians on what they wanted in the permanent City Hall statue following the Wofford announcement. However, Black residents reacted negatively to the selection of Wofford, claiming that the procedure for selecting him wasn’t fair.

The Celebrating the Legacy of Nana Harriet Tubman Committee blasted the city and demanded an open-call process to reveal what other artists, including Black and female artists, might be considered to create the city’s monument.

Creative Philadelphia pledged last August that it would have an open-call procedure following months of petitions, interviews, extensive national and international news coverage and letters from members of the City Council.

Fifty artists submitted proposals during the open-call period between Nov. 30, 2022 and Jan. 26. Although the semi-finalists are Black, sources claimed that many of the final 27 names given to the African American Historic Statue Advisory Committee — including Wofford’s — were those of white artists.

City officials have said there will be opportunities for the public to see the suggested designs.

“Once the process opens up, you can see how many talented people are out there,” said Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza, a spokeswoman for the Celebrating the Legacy committee, according to The Inquirer. 

Sullivan-Ongoza also said city officials were unaware of a lot of hidden talent, adding that “so many Black artists don’t get the opportunity” because the city handpicks those already in the system.

Kelly Lee, executive director of Creative Philly, noted that the Tubman monument would be the first of a Black woman in Philadelphia’s collection of public artwork.

Mayor Kenney said in a statement, “Installing a permanent statue of Harriet Tubman for all Philadelphians to honor and celebrate has been a long time coming.”

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