After a year of controversy, Mayor Jim Kenney and Creative Philly unveiled on Monday the winning design for Philly’s new Harriet Tubman statue — and the artist behind it.
Alvin Pettit, one of 50 artists who applied to the city’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, has been commissioned to create the sculpture, which will be erected outside City Hall.
The decision comes after the city office faced criticism last year for offering a direct $500,000 commission to artist Wesley Wofford without seeking input from the community or proposals from other artists.
» READ MORE: $500K Harriet Tubman statue controversy gets national attention, prompts a petition, and elicits the sculptor’s response
Before the final selection, Pettit and four other semifinalists — Vinnie Bagwell, Richard Blake, Tanda Francis, and Basil Watson — discussed their designs and answered questions from the public at a virtual presentation in August.
“It was the public’s advocacy that made us pivot from direct commission and seek open call,” said Kelly Lee, from Creative Philly.
“I loved the traveling statue and I was angry when the controversy [arose] about the commission. But I am happy we have our own,” said Kenney. Pettit’s sculpture depicts Tubman as a Civil War soldier and leader, a role the artist says has received little attention compared to her exploits of leading enslaved people into freedom.
“I chose to highlight a moment in history when tyranny was on the run from her,” Pettit said of his design inspiration.
» READ MORE: Sculptor Alvin Pettit will design the new Harriet Tubman statue in Philadelphia
Who is Alvin Pettit?
The sculptor and painter was appointed director of the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center in Jersey City in 2013. The center, dedicated to the memory of civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune, is focused on engaging visitors in cultural, fitness, and educational activities, many of which are free to the public.
He currently serves on the executive board of the Jersey City Arts Council and is owner of the Alvin Pettit Studio, where he works on large-scale private commissioned art projects.
Pettit’s artistic influences
He was born in 1970 and grew up in Baltimore, where his childhood home was filled with paintings by his father, A. Dwight Pettit Sr., a well-known civil rights attorney.
Raised in a family steeped in the civil rights movement encouraged Pettit to see connections between social justice and art. He was also influenced by artists such as Auguste Rodin, Frank Frazetta, and North Philadelphia-born Barkley L. Hendricks.
Pettit’s education and early career
After graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts in 1988, Alvin earned his BFA in 1992 from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Two years later, he began his first professional job as assistant sculptor to the world-renowned artist Jeff Koons. He continued formal training at the Art Students League of New York in 1996.
His vision for the Harriet Tubman statue
Other notable artwork Pettit has created
Pettit recently created the 9-foot bronze statue of civil rights leader Mary Jane McLeod Bethune, which was unveiled in 2021. It is located at the entrance of Jersey City’s Bethune Park, which Pettit helped create. Pettit also painted the two-block-long Jersey City Black Lives Matter mural.
Pettit’s art philosophy
“My belief is that art should be used to make a difference, and play a role in creating societal change. Whether my work triggers joy, sadness, anger, disgust, or laughter, I’ve done my job.”