Detroit officials seek sculptor for Joe Louis golf statue

Posted by Admin November 5, 2024 Golf

City officials are on the lookout for sculptors to pitch their vision of Detroit legend Joe Louis and his legacy beyond the ring.

The Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship issued an open call for artists to apply for a $100,000 commissioned statue of the local sports trailblazer. The statue will be a feature on the eponymous Joe Louis Greenway.

Louis is best known as a Black Detroit native who became one of the greatest boxers of all time. Detroiters of late may associate him with the 5,000-pound bronze sculpture downtown known as the “Monument to Joe Louis” or “The Fist.”

But city officials and members of his family involved with the project are looking for the statue to cast light on his groundbreaking athletic career in golf, according to the release.

Louis began playing golf in 1935 after his boxing career and was a major supporter for United Golf Association, a nationwide African American tournament organization, according to a news release. He later launched “The Joe Louis Open Golf Tournament” and became the first African American to play in an event sanctioned by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America.

He loved playing at the Rackham Golf Course and hosted eight “Joe Louis Open” golf tournaments in Detroit, putting a spotlight on the best of Black golfers in the country.

“We’re thrilled to share our father’s inspiring legacy beyond the boxing ring,” his daughter, Joyce Barrow Henderson, said in the release. “His unwavering belief in humanity and community spirit made him a trailblazer in sports, business, and culture, while empowering others to break barriers.

“We hope our father’s life story will inspire future generations to foster connection and hope, transcending racial, economic, gender, and religious boundaries.”

The statue will anchor a business plaza on the city’s west side as part of the Greenway, which spans 30 miles between Dearborn, Hamtramck, Highland Park and 23 Detroit neighborhoods.

The new monument is the latest of Detroit ACE’s efforts to increase public art pieces highlighting Detroit’s rich African American history and will also serve as part of Mayor Mike Duggan’s Blight to Beauty initiative, according to the release.

Artists interested in creating the commissioned statue should apply to Detroitace@detroitmi.gov by Nov. 11.

Detroit ACE pledged $60,000 from the Public Art Fund, while the Joe Louis Greenway contributed $50,000 from a Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant.

A selection panel of community members, business owners, artists and members of the Louis family will meet with finalists and announce the artist on Nov. 25.

That person will receive 50% of the commission in advance, 25% when the sculpture goes to the foundry on March 28 and 25% upon completion by July 28.

The commission will cover fees, artist and artist assistant costs, studio and foundry costs, materials, supplies and installation, according to the release.

Officials plan to unveil the statue on August 12, 2025, the anniversary of the first Joe Louis Open Tournaments in Detroit.

“In Detroit, we celebrate the contributions Detroiters have made to the city and to the world, and Joe Louis is one of our greatest examples,” Duggan said in the release. “It’s only fitting that a statue reflecting his accomplishments outside of boxing grace the magnificent greenway being built in his honor.”