W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project Announces Finalist Sculptors

The W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, will hold a press conference and public reception on April 19, from 6-8:30 p.m. to introduce the three sculptors who have been selected as finalists for the creation of a monument to W.E.B. Du Bois that will be placed in front of the town’s Mason Public Library. The event will be held in the main reading room of the library, located on Main Street (Rt. 7) in Great Barrington.

Seventeen artists applied for this commission. The Sculpture Project’s search committee selected Vinnie Bagwell, Richard Blake, and Dana King as finalists. All three are nationally recognized artists experienced in creating public art.

“We were awed at the astounding talent of the applicants to our RFP (Request for Proposal),” said Lauren Clark, a Sculpture Project board member who headed the Search Committee. “Though all of our applicants knew of Du Bois, a few were surprised that he grew up and was nurtured by this small New England town in Western Massachusetts.”

The two other judges for the competition were artists Delano Burroughs and Reginald Madison, both with longstanding ties to the community. The three finalists will be commissioned to create a small model of their Du Bois vision, which will be delivered in June. Those models will be displayed this summer at the Mason Library and The Berkshire Athenaeum so the community can comment.

The finalists are:

VINNIE BAGWELL is a representational and figurative artist who uses traditional bas-relief techniques as visual narratives to expand her storytelling. Her statue of Ella Fitzgerald, “The First Lady of Jazz,” was commissioned by the city of Yonkers. She has also done sculptures for New York City’s Central Park and the city of Memphis, TN. https://www.vinniebagwell.com/

RICHARD BLAKE’S sculpture projects commemorate those who have fought for social justice. Texture, gesture, and composition all contribute to imbuing his works with a spiritual quality. Blake is the 2023 Recipient of The Medal of Honor presented by The National Sculpture Society. His statue of Rosa Parks sits in the U.S. Capitol. https://www.richardblakesculptor.com/

DANA KING is a classical figurative sculptor whose public monuments capture the resilience of famous and everyday Black Americans, ennobling their tenacity and courage. Her sculpture of the women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott is featured at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL. https://danakingart.com/

Donations to the Du Bois sculpture can be made online at www.webduboissculpture.org or mailed to W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project, P.O. Box 155, Great Barrington, MA 01230.

About the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project

The W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project was launched in May 2022 by a volunteer group of local citizens with the goal of recognizing Du Bois’ scholarly achievements in the fight for racial equality. The Project celebrates Great Barrington, a town whose long abolitionist history and powerful commitment to public education helped shape the person Du Bois became. The Sculpture Project is endorsed and supported by the Great Barrington Library Trustees and W.E.B. Du Bois Town Legacy Committee, among many others.

About W.E.B. Du Bois
W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was born and educated in Great Barrington. He was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. A world-famous sociologist, historian, and founder of the NAACP, he wrote The Souls of Black Folk, a seminal work in African American literature.