Artists have until Monday to apply to design the Sadie T.M. Alexander statue for Philly

“People were very interested in this project, and we’ve been receiving lots of positive feedback,” said Valerie Gay, chief cultural officer and executive director of Creative Philly.

In a series of photos taken between 1976 and 1981 by Judith Sedwick, Sadie T.M. Alexander is signing a petition.Read moreCity of Philadelphia

by Valerie Russ

Published Dec. 24, 2024, 5:13 p.m. ET

Artists have until Monday to apply to design a statue in honor of civil rights lawyer and economist Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander.

The submission of qualifications is the first step in ensuring that the artist is considered for the competition.

Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office that oversees public art, announced in November that there would be a statue honoring Alexander, a native Philadelphian who broke barriers in academia, economics, and the law, and fought for the civil rights of all Americans. The statue will be installed at Thomas Paine Plaza, outside the Municipal Services Building at 15th Street and JFK Boulevard.

The call for artists noted: “This public art competition is open to all interested artists or artist teams. Priority will be given to artists or artist teams who reflect the diversity of Philadelphia.”

In graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1921, Alexander became the first Black American to earn a Ph.D. in economics in the United States. She was also the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1927.

The city held a Q&A meeting with more than two dozen artists on Nov. 25 to answer their questions about the project, said Valerie Gay, the city’s chief cultural officer and executive director of Creative Philly.

“People were very interested in this project, and we’ve been receiving lots of positive feedback,” Gay said.

The application includes two parts: a Submission of Qualifications and the Finalists’ Proposals. Only the first part is due by 11:59 p.m. Monday. As of Dec. 23, about 10 artists had applied.

A selection committee will announce the finalists from among the applicants by Jan. 30. Those finalists will have until April 10 to submit their proposals for the statue.

After time for the public’s review of the proposals, the winning artist or team is expected to be announced by the end of May. The city expects the statue to be installed by fall 2026.