Philadelphia Announces Winning Artist Selected to Create Permanent Harriet Tubman Statue

Alvin Pettit’s design entitled “A Higher Power: The Call of a Freedom Fighter” was selected by the African American Historic Statue Advisory Committee out of four semi-finalists: Vinnie Bagwell, Tanda Francis, Alvin Pettit, and Basil Watson. A fifth semi-finalist, Richard Blake, removed himself from the competition due to being awarded another public art commission.

“In the course of this competition, we witnessed remarkable talent from our semi-finalist artists,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “Each depicted a unique vision and told a distinct story about Harriet Tubman through their proposals. Yet, I was struck by Alvin Pettit’s design and how it depicts Harriet Tubman’s likeness, evokes her power, and reminds us of her leadership. I was thrilled that the public and our Advisory Committee agreed on Mr. Pettit’s design.”

In a public input survey that OACCE distributed in September 2023, which received nearly 3,000 responses, Alvin Pettit scored the highest in all seven categories, including likeness, essence, and emotional and educational qualities. The Advisory Committee considered the public survey results amongst several other evaluation criteria when selecting the winning artist and statue design.

The Advisory Committee participated in multiple meetings, two rounds of presentations by the artists, reviewed in-depth proposals, asked thoughtful questions of the artists, and read hundreds of comments submitted by the public prior to making their selection. The Advisory Committee felt that the story told by Pettit’s design about Harriet Tubman, as a strong leader fighting for freedom, was the best story for Philadelphia.

“Today marks a major milestone for the City of Philadelphia,” said Kelly Lee, Chief Cultural Officer for the City of Philadelphia and Executive Director of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. “The northeast apron of City Hall will serve as a powerful location for Philadelphia’s Harriet Tubman statue. Positioned at the main entrance of City Hall, leadership will be reminded every day that their duty is to fight in service of all Philadelphians.”

“When we embarked on this project, we knew how vital it would be to have an Advisory Committee that represented diverse stakeholders, including public artists, historians, educators, members of Harriet Tubman’s family, and high school students,” said Marguerite Anglin, Public Art Director of the Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy. “We are so thankful to the Committee for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to this project.”

Main Image :Alvin Pettit with the maquette for A Higher Power: The Call of a Freedom Fighter, selected by Philadelphia as the design for a new memorial to Harriet Tubman to be erected at City Hall. Photo courtesy of Creative Philly.