Philadelphia will be getting a permanent Harriet Tubman statue in 2025 — and you can help pick the design.
On Thursday night, five artists presented their ideas for the monument to the famous abolitionist and emancipator, who escaped slavery when she arrived in the free city of Philadelphia in 1849. The city's Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy selected the sculptors as semifinalists to design the statue in March after a call for submissions last November. Their proposals are now online for public voting, which is open through Friday, Sept. 1 at 11:59 p.m.
The new statue was announced after a sculpture of Tubman temporarily graced Philly in early 2022. Wesley Wofford's "Harriet Tubman: A Journey to Freedom" stood outside City Hall between Jan. 11 and March 31 in commemoration of the emancipator's 200th birthday.
It proved so popular that the city decided to install a permanent statue, also to be designed by Wofford. After public backlash from local artists — who protested the choice of Wofford, a white artist, to depict a Black historical figure — the city instead put out a public call for design submissions.
The winning design will be announced in October, and installed outside City Hall by early 2025, according to current city projections.
Here's a look at each of the five designs:
Design No. 1
Vinnie Bagwell/City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Vinnie Bagwell's design, “Harriet Tubman: City of Liberty.”
The first design, by Vinnie Bagwell, is a 9-foot bronze sculpture of a young Tubman giving thanks for her freedom soon after arriving in Philadelphia. "This is the moment she regains her humanity and becomes the most famous Underground Railroad conductor," Bagwell wrote in her description.
Design No. 2
Richard Blake/City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Richard Blake's design, which is not yet titled.
Richard Blake's proposal depicts Tubman forging a path with a lantern in one hand and the Liberty Bell dangling over her head. The lantern, he writes, is a "beacon of hope for the oppressed and future generations of young Black folks."
Design No. 3
Tanda Francis/City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Tanda Francis's design, “Together in Freedom.”
In her design, Tanda Francis presents multiple silhouettes of Tubman with a bust nestled in the middle, all over a keystone. Francis's intention was "to prompt togetherness in a divided country by reminding viewers of Tubman's mission to bring us together."
Design No. 4
Alvin Pettit/City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Alvin Pettit's design, which is not yet titled.
Alvin Pettit drew inspiration from a moment in Civil War history when Tubman led a group of 150 Black Union soldiers in a raid along the Combahee River of South Carolina, rescuing more than 700 enslaved people. In the 11-foot bronze sculpture, Tubman "stands strong, refusing to yield or lose focus."
Design No. 5
Basil Watson/City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Basil Watson's design, “Keep Going.”
Basil Watson has proposed a 13-foot bronze statue on a black granite pedestal of four figures climbing a slope, with Tubman in the center. The design, he wrote, shows Tubman as a "leader, a warrior, a larger than life spirit of unwavering determination who chose freedom as the only way to live."
