Rosa Parks and Helen Keller are exemplary figures of Alabama’s history of determination and passion. In order to preserve the legacies and these women, and to honor their inspiring stories, HB287 created the Alabama Women’s Tribute Statue Commission to fund, commission, and place statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol.
On August 17, the request for proposals (RFP) was posted on callforentry.org, known as CaFÉ . The RFP seeks artists to submit their proposals for the design and fabrication of statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller. Artists may submit proposals for the Rosa Parks statue, the Helen Keller statue, or both. The RFP submissions period closes on January 4, 2022, at which point the Commission will select three finalists for consideration.
The RFP specifically solicits artists with experience in public art and in statues placed in historic locations, as well as experience and success in coordinating project activities with partners and public entities. The Commission will also consider the durability of applicants’ previously-installed outdoor sculptures and pricing proposals.
Artists must submit a letter describing their interest in the project and their preliminary vision and plan for the statues, as well as a description of the process and method the artist would use. Artists must also provide an annotated image list of previous works, a professional resume, and three references that can speak to the range and quality of the artist’s experience and artwork.
Contracts with artists will be negotiated in the early months of 2022, and artists will spend the majority of 2022 designing and casting the works. While the exact timeline may fluctuate based on artist requirements, it is anticipated that the sculptures will be unveiled on February 4, 2023, Rosa Parks’ 110th birthday.
