Great Barrington — Fundraising for a sculpture of W.E.B. Du Bois in front of the Mason Public Library, along with the redevelopment of the plaza at the library, has received a boost through a matching grant from local artist Anne Fredericks and Marc Fasteau.
According to a press release from a group looking to create the sculpture, which will be part of a planned new plaza in front of the library, both Fredericks and Fasteau plan to match $7,500 in donations during this month. “Both of them have been supporters of this project from the very beginning,” Project Chair Julie Michaels told The Berkshire Edge. “Fredericks has already donated $7,500 of her funds for the project. However, she also earmarked another $7,500, which would bring her contribution to $15,000.”
Michaels said that the donation coincides with Du Bois’ birthday on February 23 as well as Black History Month. She said that the donation drive for potential donors “is going very, very well” and that she believes that the group will get to its goal of $350,000 for the creation and installation of the sculpture and renovation of the plaza. “We are close to hitting our $150,000 mark, which is very good,” Michaels said. “We will be announcing the three finalists in our sculpture competition in March. Once the finalists are announced, they will be hired to produce small models of their proposed sculptures.”
Michaels said that the small models, once completed, will go on display at the library in June. “That way, the community can comment on the proposed sculptures and see our progress,” she said. “I think once that happens, we will have a much more public presence with this project. I think that more and more people are hearing about us and more and more people are very enthusiastic.”
Michaels said that the group has received six proposals for the sculpture, and moved the due date for proposals from February 1 to March 1 to receive more proposals. “I would say that the project is on track,” she said, “One thing that should be mentioned is that we are committed to fixing the stairs in front of the library because they have been condemned. We’re going to work with the town on that. Once we announced our choice for the sculptor, the person will have nine months to create the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture. Once we have launched that, we can then focus on renovating the plaza as the sculptor is working on their piece. We have spoken to State Rep. Smitty Pignatelli (D), and he has been very supportive of us, and he is hoping to locate some funding for redesigning the front of the library. As a town, we have had no negative reaction. The more people who hear about the project, the more excited we get that there’s a lot of support out there for the project.”
For more information on the project, go to its website.
