Finalists named in competition to create campus statues

Finalists have been selected in a competition involving artists from throughout the country seeking commissions to create bronze statues for UT Austin of two nationally recognized champions of civil rights — the late U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan and the late Cesar Chavez.

The statues of Jordan, the first African American woman from the South to serve in the U.S. Congress, and Chavez, a civil rights and labor leader who became a force for social change, will be prominently located on the UT Austin campus. The unveiling is expected to be during the 2006-07 academic year.

Four finalists, all of them acclaimed national artists in the field of sculpture, were chosen for each of the two projects. Following an evaluation process, one artist will be commissioned for the Chavez project and one for the Jordan project.

Artists chosen as finalists for the statue of Chavez, which will be placed on the south side of the West Mall across from the Undergraduate Library, include Tina Allen of North Hills, Calif., Littleton Alston of Omaha, Neb., Pablo Eduardo of Gloucester, Mass., and Bruce Wolfe of Piedmont, Calif.

The finalists competing to design the statue of Jordan, which will be near the Battle Oaks at 24th and Whitis streets, are Erik Blome of Crystal Lake, Ill., Kim Crowley of Santa Fe, N.M., Eddie Dixon of Lubbock, Texas and David Newton of Dallas.