A white artist was invited to design a statue of Harriet Tubman. After complaints, the city held an open call for submissions. Philadelphia received 50 proposals, including this one from the artist Alvin Pettit, after announcing plans for a Harriet Tubman statue in front of City Hall.
When Alvin Pettit’s phone rang Oct. 24, he saw a Philadelphia number and assumed it was someone from his family reaching out.
But when the Jersey City artist answered, it was the city of Philadelphia delivering big news: Pettit was chosen as the winning sculptor for the city’s new Harriet Tubman statue to be placed 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.
Alvin Pettit, the artist who won the competition to create Philadelphia's permanent statue of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, talks about his work and his journey to success in his field.
