Great Barrington — The W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project group has chosen Pennsylvania-based sculptor Richard Blake to create the sculpture to be placed in front of the Mason Public Library.
Blake was one of three semi-finalists for the project, which included New York-based sculptor Vinnie Bagwell, and California-based sculptor Dana King.
Some of Blake’s projects have included the “I’ve Been To The Mountain” Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. monument at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, “The Abolitionist” Frederick Douglass monument at West Chester University in Pennsylvania and another Frederick Douglass monument at Abolition Row Park in New Bedford.
For his proposed sculpture, Blake wrote in a press release, “This monument will be a tribute to DuBois and as well to the community of Great Barrington, which nurtured the young scholar in his journey to become a prolific, world-renowned author whose observation and writings served to part the veil of racism.”
“Du Bois was a brilliant thinker,” Blake told The Berkshire Edge back in April. “He was important to anything that had to do with civil rights and equality in this country. I’m very glad that I can participate in this project.”
In a press release announcing that Blake has been chosen to create the sculpture, board member Lauren Clark said that “All three of our applicants were talented, highly regarded sculptors, each with a unique vision of Du Bois. Ours was a difficult decision, but after much discussion, we found Blake’s model the most responsive to our vision.”
The organization states in the press release that “The organization is still raising funds for the sculpture and for the renovation of the Mason Library Plaza where the statue will be installed in the fall of 2024.”
