Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial on the Mall / Washington D.C.

[lofter1]

Groundbreaking set for King memorial

First National Mall tribute to an African American begins Nov. 13

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061105/061105_mlkmemorial_hlrg_1p.hmedium.jpg
Kevin Wolf / AP
A model of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is seen
on Nov. 2 in Washington. On Nov. 13, celebrities, corporate leaders
and ordinary Americans will help turn the first shovels of dirt
for the memorial.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/images/icons/slideshow.gif (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15579025/displaymode/1176/rstry/15578645/) View related photos (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15579025/displaymode/1176/rstry/15578645/)

msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15578645/)
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - On a hot August afternoon in 1963, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to a mostly black audience from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

On Nov. 13, a half-mile from Lincoln’s iconic statue, a diverse group of celebrities, corporate leaders and ordinary Americans will help turn the first shovels of dirt for a memorial honoring the civil rights leader who was slain 38 years ago. It will be the first monument to an African American on the National Mall.

“He’s an American hero, and beyond that he’s a hero for all sorts of people,” said poet and novelist Maya Angelou, who is scheduled to join Oprah Winfrey and others who have been working for more than a decade to help build the monument.

Angelou, 80, said the groundbreaking is even more special because it comes almost a year after the death of King’s widow. “She never was a person to say ’Why didn’t it happen sooner?’ That would not be Coretta Scott King,” Angelou said of her friend, who died in January at 78.

Following the deaths of Coretta Scott King and civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, who died in October 2005, efforts to raise the necessary $100 million to build and maintain the four-acre memorial accelerated.

Pace of donations picks up

Donations, mostly from major corporations, had totaled less than $40 million through August 2005. But as of Nov. 1, donations topped $65.5 million.

Harry Johnson, president of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, said he hopes to have the site completed by the spring of 2008.

The location is flanked by the Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin D. Roosevelt memorials near the eastern edge of the Potomac River Tidal Basin. From a distance, visitors can see the stairs where King delivered his most famous speech during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.

The entrance to the memorial will include a central sculpture called “The Mountain of Despair.” Its towering split rocks signify the divided America that inspired the nonviolent efforts of King and others to overcome racial and social barriers.

“This gateway was designed to lead visitors to the heart and soul of this living memorial,” said Ed Jackson, Jr., the project’s executive architect.

Private, corporate donors

Among those invited to attend the ceremonial groundbreaking are the Revs. Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson — who were with King on the trip to Memphis that preceded his April 4, 1968, assassination — and former President Bill Clinton, who signed a resolution approved by Congress authorizing the memorial in 1996.

Backers of the project say corporate support was critical. General Motors provided $10 million, and clothing manufacturer Tommy Hilfiger contributed $5 million.

“You could compare it to the assassination of JFK,” Hilfiger said, remembering how King’s assassination touched his Irish-Catholic family. “It was so significant in our lives as teens and young people. It was earth-shattering.”

Hilfiger is working with hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons to help raise another $35 million for the project over the next six months.

Major galas and concerts are planned in New York, Houston and other cities, including a National Dream Dinner at Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 13.

© 2006 The Associated Press.
© 2006 MSNBC.com

[lofter1]

About the Memorial

Designer

ROMA Design Group is an interdisciplinary firm of architects, landscape architects and planners which is based in San Francisco and does work throughout the United States and abroad. Over the past twenty years, ROMA has established a reputation for design excellence and comitment to the improvement of the urban environment. The firm focuses on the transformation of the post-industrial city, the creation of livable communities and the design of public places. We believe that our projects have made a significant contribution to the attractiveness, character and livability of cities, towns and regions.

Roma Design Group
1527 Stockton Street
San Francisco, U.S.A.
CA 94133

http://www.roma.com/mlkmemorial.html

http://www.roma.com/images/mlk-image.jpg

[lofter1]

http://www.mlkmemorial.org/ (http://www.mlkmemorial.org/)

http://www.mlkmemorial.org/atf/cf/{624B8035-378F-481F-B214-60491E4C3CF2}/logo.jpghttp://www.mlkmemorial.org/atf/cf/{624B8035-378F-481F-B214-60491E4C3CF2}/rendering2.jpg (http://www.mlkmemorial.org/tour)

[Zephyr]

The location is flanked by the Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin D. Roosevelt memorials near the eastern edge of the Potomac River Tidal Basin. From a distance, visitors can see the stairs where King delivered his most famous speech during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.

The entrance to the memorial will include a central sculpture called “The Mountain of Despair.” Its towering split rocks signify the divided America that inspired the nonviolent efforts of King and others to overcome racial and social barriers.

I am surprised that this thread has had no posts before this. I shall not speculate as to why, but I find it puzzling indeed for a man who had such a great impact on this country and many other places in the world.

That location, which visually lines up Jefferson to King to Lincoln is being called the "Line of Leaders" but that title seems a bit forced at this stage, I am sure something better will replace it.

The split rocks are dramatically at odds with what King believed, but I understand how it speaks to a great divide that continues to exist in America, from this and several other directions.

[Jasonik]

Feb. 2004 AIA article (http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek04/tw0220/0220mlk.htm)

[NYCDOC]

I don't know if the website just doesn't do the memorial justice, but it was a disappointment for me. Whatever happened to building memorials on a grand scale? This looks more like a park to me with some benches for reflection. Too bad.

[Zephyr]

Feb. 2004 AIA article (http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek04/tw0220/0220mlk.htm)

Thanks for that 2004 article. Those matyr wells seem like a curious symbol, I need to find out more about them.

[BrooklynRider]

Not a very moving or evocative memorial.

[Zephyr]

Before I leave NY, I'll be taking one of my typical weekends to go elsewhere - and I do plan on looking at this site very soon.

It may be that MLK not being a President, and in a tight site next to Lincoln, may have precluded him from ever getting any grand monument. I suppose that being on the Washington Mall, with some type of bust and landscape features - instead of on a plaque at the reflecting pool where he gave his famous speech, or off in some neighborhood park - is at least some form of national recognition, worth applauding.

That Mall is getting quite crowded with all types of monuments and people. But sometimes the most modest things there can be quite moving. That subterranean Vietnam memorial, for instance, is very moving yet spartan/modest by Washington standards. I am hoping that this memorial will at least be moving when built, and that may be enough for me.

[Zephyr]

In view of the height of this statue, the monument will be far more substantial than first suspected.

A King Statue 'Made in China'?
U.S. Critics Blast Selection; Artist Is Bewildered at Outrage


By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, August 15, 2007; Page C01

CHANGSHA, China -- Inside a cavernous studio in this steamy inland city, Lei Yixin is molding clay into the shape of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Lei scrutinizes every inch of the models ... For China's artists, the selection of Lei as the lead sculptor for the project, to be unveiled in 2009 on the Mall, is a triumphant moment.
...

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/08/14/PH2007081401873.jpg
Lei Yixin with his clay model of the
Martin Luther King Jr. statue to be unveiled
at the Mall in 2009.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Lei Yixin

Not everyone feels this way.

Atlanta resident Lea Winfrey Young says the "outsourcing" by U.S. companies and organizations to China has gone too far this time. She and her husband, Gilbert Young, a painter, are leading a group of critics who argue that an African American -- or any American -- should have been picked for such an important project.

....

A former adviser for the memorial has accused the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation Inc. of promoting Lei to head artist in the hopes of getting a $25 million donation from the Chinese government to make up for a shortfall in funding. In a 13-page critique, Ed Dwight, a sculptor who has created seven King memorials, called Lei's proposed statue a "shrinking, shriveled inadequate personage."

...

Harry E. Johnson Sr., president of the foundation, denies ever having conversations with Chinese officials or companies to ask for money. He said scouts for the foundation spotted Lei's work at a sculpting workshop in St. Paul, Minn., and approached him. The sole criterion for choosing him, Johnson said, was artistic ability -- Lei's skill at capturing personalities in sculptures, his expertise in hewing granite and his extensive experience with large public monuments... Johnson said. "We don't want to take the stand to say African Americans can only work on this project. We appreciate the diversity we have."

Johnson said yesterday that the foundation had raised $82 million of the $100 million needed to complete and maintain the project. The most recent donation, valued at $1.5 million, came from media conglomerate Viacom Inc., which owns BET and MTV.

...

Johnson emphasizes that Lei was selected by a design team that included mostly African Americans, and that the artist is collaborating closely with Jon Onye Lockard, a painter and a University of Michigan lecturer, and Louisville-based sculptor Ed Hamilton, both of whom are African American.

...

In Lei's home town of Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, talk of the controversy in the United States draws not anger but bewilderment.

Wasn't it King's dream to end all racism? Lei asked.

...

After winning top prizes in national competitions three years in a row, Lei was given a rare honor -- recognition as a master sculptor, which came with a lifetime stipend from the Chinese government.

...

Born to a family of scholars, Lei was one of millions of "educated youth" sent to the countryside during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, a national campaign by the Communist Party to rid the country of all things "bourgeois." As a way to develop a skill other than farming during the seven years he spent toiling in the fields, Lei started drawing... When Lei applied to college, he submitted the diary as his portfolio. In 1978, he became part of the first class after the Cultural Revolution to be able to go to art school. In 1982, when Lei graduated, there were no more than 100 art majors in the country, according to Sun Quan, vice president of the Hunan Sculpture Institute. In recent years the number has grown as high as 260,000.

Today, the art world in China is booming. Galleries from Shanghai to London and New York sell the work of contemporary Chinese artists for thousands of dollars.

But more important than material rewards, sculptors, painters and others say, is the artistic license that the government gives them. "Foreigners think we artists in China have no freedom, that we are told what to create. That's not true," said Zhu, chairman of the Hunan Association of Artists.

...

The statue Lei is creating -- which at 28 feet will be a full nine feet taller than the statue in the Jefferson Memorial -- will be the centerpiece of the tribute to King. The memorial will span four acres near the Tidal Basin between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, facing Jefferson. Visitors will first walk through a grove of spruce and magnolia trees by a waterfall and read a selection of the civil rights leader's famous words carved on walls. At the end of their walk, they will see King's likeness emerging from a chunk of granite.

Lei has hired 10 other Chinese sculptors, many of them local university professors, to help him create the giant monument. But it is Lei who will carve critical features such as King's face and hands... For months, Lei buried himself in King's readings and speeches. At one point, every wall in his studio was covered with pictures of King. In the end, Lei's interpretation was this: Martin Luther King was a great man but also an ordinary man. "He is short and doesn't stand out in a crowd," he said. "But when his voice comes out, he's a leader. His charisma has attracted millions of Americans to follow his cause."

So in his first clay model, Lei showed King standing, arms folded across his chest, his left hand grasping a pen. The goal, Lei said, is "when you see the statue of Martin Luther King, you might think of the injustices around the world, which call for our collaborative efforts . . . to bring to justice the things that King himself was unable to finish."

Staff researcher Wu Meng and wire services contributed to this report.

© 2007 The Washington Post Company

For the complete article, please press link below:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081401691.html

[RedFerrari360f1]

Most artists commisioned to do large public work do crumby jobs at relating facial features to the medium they are using. If this Lei character really is specialy gifted in those areas I would consider that a great decision, Chinese or not. Not to sound corny but how many public memorials and statues have you seen where their is no emotion evoked by the piece, simply a bronze accretion. I'm excited to see what the final design looks like.

[Zephyr]

Agreed.

I did get a chance after leaving New York to drop down there and see the site firsthand: it looks very tight, but it is bigger than the Korean War Memorial, and it will have impressive vistas if they handle it properly.

[Zephyr]

M. L. King was born on 15 January, 1929, in Atlanta, but the federal holiday created to celebrate this day is scheduled every third Monday in January. That means for 2008 it is the 21st not the 15th that is actually celebrated. And that is, of course, next week.

In advance of this federal holiday, I am posting an article on fundraising for the King Memorial in DC sponsored by Delta Air Lines. In another kind of technicality, this is not a corporate donation from this troubled airline, but rather a means by which Delta's customers and employees can contribute to the Memorial through that corporation's facilities.

_______________


http://i.l.cnn.net/money/.element/img/1.0/logos/cnnmoneydotcom_small.gif

The Dream Lives On: Delta's Force for Global Good Leads Fundraising Campaign for Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial

Delta Air Lines partners with employees and customers worldwide to raise contributions for the memorial honoring Dr. King's legacy

January 14, 2008: 09:33 AM EST


ATLANTA, Jan. 14, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), the hometown airline of the birthplace of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., kicked off the New Year with a global fundraising campaign to help make the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. a reality.


http://media.primezone.com/cache/4057/int/5113.jpg


On Jan.7, Delta's Vice President of Marketing,
Tim Mapes and his wife, Mary (left) hosted
(L-R) Ambassador Andrew Young, Atlanta Mayor
Shirley Franklin, Harry Johnson, Sr., Delta's
Scarlet Pressley-Brown and others at their home
to support the kick off of Delta's fund-raising
efforts for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National
Memorial in Washington, D.C.


"A Nobel Peace Prize winner and one of the greatest leaders in American history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood the importance of making peaceful change and joining people of all races and cultures in pursuit of a common good," said Richard Anderson, Delta's chief executive officer. "We ask our customers to join the people of Delta in donating to the campaign in support of the King Memorial in Washington, D.C. By doing so, we can all make a difference."

The $100 million monument is being built on a four-acre site near the Lincoln Memorial, where Dr. King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. To date, more than $87 million has been raised for the memorial which is scheduled to open in 2009 and marks the first monument to an African American on the National Mall.

"There is no question that Martin Luther King was a world citizen -- tourism, travel, the global dimensions of peace and justice were always very much a part of everything he said and did," said Ambassador Andrew Young. "As a son of Atlanta, he was a son of Delta."

Delta is supporting the fundraising effort in a variety of ways that allow both customers and employees to contribute to the important Memorial, honoring Dr. King's legacy. Donations can be made online now through Delta's Force for Global Good at delta.com/mlkfund where contributions will be received and tracked by the official memorial fund site. The MLK Jr. National Memorial Account, account number 0991669648 at the Delta Community Credit Union, was also established to receive contributions. In addition, all of Delta's domestic Crown Room Clubs(r) will accept donations from Jan. 21 through Feb. 28.

"Who better than Delta to do what it can to increase awareness that the memorial is an ongoing effort and, in the process, spread the message that Dr. King put forth?" said Tim Mapes, Delta's vice president of Marketing and president of The Delta Foundation. "Dr. King introduced the world to the value of diversity and inclusion -- universal principles we acknowledge and value in our customers, our employees and the communities we serve across the globe. Delta and its more than 48,000 employees worldwide are honored to support the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial project."

The January cover of Delta's Sky magazine features an illustration of Dr. King, along with a Q&A inside with Ambassador Young who was a top aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement and serves on the Board of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change. In addition, throughout the month of February, Delta will play a video about the memorial project on the overhead on-flight entertainment systems available on board many Delta flights worldwide.

Delta's employees, customers, and community partners form Delta's Force for Global Good, an organization for positive local and global change, dedicated to improving standards of living and the environment where Delta employees and customers live and work.

…
CONTACT: Delta Air Lines
Corporate Communications
404-715-2554

© 2007 PrimeNewswire, Inc.
© 2008 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company

SOURCE (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/primenewswire/134239.htm)

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[Jake]

Mountain of Despair?
Stone of Sadness?

Aren't these things just a tad too..I don't know...Disneyland?

I happen to think that the plain-and-simple theme of all the memorials in DC is what makes them great and I think something like a small rotunda or maybe even something like the FDR memorial would be far more fitting.

Actually I think if they could recreate the steps right there in front of the water they could put his statue on them and immortalize it in the same setting that he was immortalized.

Just my thoughts.

[ablarc]

Not a very moving or evocative memorial.
Yeah, it's hack work.

ROMA's California work is equally insipid.

[Zephyr]

http://www.chinainsight.info/may2007/Photos/MasterLei_1w3.jpg


MLK committee decides Chinese master sculptor is
the right artist for the job

By Mike Xiong, Staff Writer
China Insight
17, July, 2007

It was a nerve breaking wracking but exciting moment for Master Lei Yixin on Feb 15th at 10:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C. where the artist committee of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation was evaluating his replica and listen to his presentation on his artistic design.

Master Lei dressed in dark Asian styled suite, was well prepared but with possessed a certain degree of uncertainty. He was not very sure whether or not this the hearing would pass smoothly. It was a very rigid art evaluation process. Members of the artistic evaluation committee are nationally prominent artists and analysts appointed by the U.S. President. They command the power to say go yes or no go to any artistic project brought to the evaluation hearings. Any tiny imperfection will not escape their scrutinizing eyes. For this project that concerns U.S. national dignity and world influence, the standard must be second to none in the world.

It is the fact that Master Lei’s artistic skill is already second to none and he is considered one of the nine living treasures in China in his profession. He has successfully created many famous sculptures in China and, some of them which were collected by China’s national art galleries. However, whether his style, artistic concept and design were all accepted by American evaluators still remained a question mystery.

On the other hand, evaluators may raise questions about Lei’s mother country China. People may question whether it is a good idea to let an artist from China, whose human rights record often invites criticizes criticism from Americans, to carve out an image of Martin Luther King, Jr., the assassinated American civil rights icon. As a matter of fact, this political uncertainty weighs equally heavy, if not more, than artistic consideration.

Dr. Ed. Jackson, the executive architect at the foundation of MLK Foundation, understood those concerns and strategically arranged the sequence of the hearing so that it would be a smooth run.

Dr. Jackson gave an introduction speech by first reciting a phrase from Martin Luther King, Jr. "If we are to have peace on Earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional.


http://www.chinainsight.info/may2007/Photos/MasterLei_2w.jpg
Photo provided by Lei Yixin

Master Lei (center), Dr. Jackson and interpreter at the evaluation hearing


Our loyalties must transcend race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective. "

By using the quotation, Dr. Jackson delivered a very clear message to the audience. Although the sculptor is neither a black nor an American, as long as we are working for a project that will convey a common human concept that should ‘transcend" race and nation, the artist’s race and nationality must not be a concern. On the contrary, commissioning this task to master Lei will exactly embody the aspiration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Then Dr. Jackson reported the long and difficult experience of finding a the right artist to do the central piece of the MLK memorial park. They first cast their sights on Italy which is original place of contemporary and modern art of sculpture. Although many artists can work well ion limestone pretty well, few have experience on in granite. Coincidentally, just before the committee led by Dr. Jackson would have to make a decision with from less desirable options, the Minnesota Rocks! Symposium was held in June of 2006 and the information was put on internet. Dr. Jackson and other two members instantly traveled to Minnesotan in such a rushed manner that they did not have time to verify the directions to the site in St. Paul. At the airport, they had to call the Art Institute to find their way to the site of the rock symposium exhibition. They gazed at master Lei’s nearly complete sculpture "Contemplation" and imagined thought with excitement that they had found their artist was here. Dr. Jackson remembered that the appearance of master Lei (Chinese last name meaning "thunder") was like a "thunder rod" " for him to find the artist he had long been looking for. What a happy "Eueka"!

Followed Following by Dr. Jackson’s introduction, was master Lei’s presentation on his artistic design for "the mountain of despair" and "the stone of hope" through an interpreter. When it came to the final vote, every one of the evaluation members voted to accept master Lei’s art design. Congratulations, hags hugs and kisses overwhelmed him as his interpreter explained "everyone believes that your artistic work is impeccable and your presentation very convincing. It is really worth congratulations and celebration."

A public news conference was hold after the evaluation to announce the formal approval of master Lei’s art design and commission him to complete the project by 2008. Master Lei was then interviewed by many news media such as Washington Post, Reuters, CBS, NBC and VOA. Those media published the news that the MLK Foundation had formally appointed Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin as the artist for the center pieces of MLK Memorial Park, that this park will be established in D.C.’ s national mall between Lincoln Memorial Hall and Thomas Jefferson Memorial Hall.

Although published articles from worldwide major news media all briefly mentioned the project and master Lei, not one give any description about master Lei’s artistic design.

What did master Lei say about his artistic design that convinced every picky member of the evaluation committee?

There is no Chinese script about master Master Lei’s presentation at hand. So I, the only thing to do was called master Master Lei and had a phone interview about his presentation.

Mike Xiong: What did you tell the evaluation committee about your design? Could you talk about the center piece of this three pieces sculpture, the Stone of Hope?

Master Lei Yixin: I really spent quite a lot of time to read and study Martin Luther King, Jr.’s material the MLK Foundation sent to me. First of all, I believe that King is a person who had strong determination to change the society and gain equal rights for black Americans. So his figure must be strong, firm and has some inspiration to viewer. On his face, I put frown on to express his discontent with the reality but at the same time I made his eyes bright and forward looking to deliver the hope and confidence.

Mike Xiong: What kind of artistic method have you adopted?

Lei: I used the realistic approach to for the head and upper part of King’s figure. Very detailed expression is used to his face, arms, hands and jacket. The degree of details starts to decrease below his jacket with his pants gradually merging into the stone. This design creates a feeling as if Martin Luther King, Jr. is emerging out of a piece of stone. This stone is the hope for equal rights. In order to protrude the central figure of Martin Luther King, Jr., I purposely make a rough background with traces of chopping and chiseling.

Mike Xiong: Looking at the photos from your sample, I do feel that it is what you want to convey to viewers. How about the Mountains of Despair?

Lei: I have studies studied many different mountains in Europe, China and America. The shapes of cracking in the mountain are a combination of many mountains from different continents. I made the surface of the mountain very rough with sharp edges and spikes to give people a feeling as if it will hurt you when you touch it. Because this is a Mountain of Despair, I would like to express a feeling of hardship and hopeless. This will also help to support the theme for the stone of hope represented by Martin Luther King, Jr.

On the other hand, since the mountains of despair are doomed to collapse, I have created some deep fissures and cracks. They look like natural erosion and imply the desperate situation of discriminated people will eventually replaced by confidence and hope.

Mike Xiong: Could you talk a little about the deployment of the three pieces of sculpture?

Lei: The three pieces of rocks are in an inverse tri angle with the stone of hope displayed at the center top and the mountains of despair at each side. There will be three flat sides on the stone of hope: two side panels and one back panel. A total 16 selected quotations and public speeches such as "I have a dream" will be engraved on them and other two panels on the mountains of despair.

Visitors will be channeled to the center hall formed by the three pieces of sculptures after viewing the outside works. They will be able to access the center hall to read those quotations through one back and two side channels created by this inverse tri angle design.

That is the synopsis of master Lei’s presentation. The artistic design that has been fully materialized with his sample created with unmatched sculpture skills completely convinced the picky committee members. They rarely approve any artistic project without raising some questions. Facing with master Lei’s impeccable model sculpture, they are more than happy to approve it.

Before the evaluation hearing, Dr. Jackson and another officer traveled to Changsha in early February. Accompanied by Master Lei, they visited the site where granite stone will be produced. Then they accompanied Master Lei and his wife back to the United States. Dr. Jackson knows that to get a deeper understanding of Martin Luther King, Jr and his course is not an easy task for a person from totally different culture. So he arranged a sequence of site tours for Master Lei to Memphis and Atlanta where Martin Luther King, Jr, . worked, studied, made speeches and was assassinated and buried. The visits to all those locations such as motel, school, research center, museum and cemetery, gave Master Lei a direct impression on how the civil rights leader used to work and live. The visits also enriched Master Lei’s understanding and admiration to this American civil rights icon that he is going to carve. This pre pre-evaluation warm up tour nevertheless helped Master Lei’s successful presentation. Master Lei talked to journalists that he first knew learned about Martin Luther King Jr. when he was only ten years old. He never imagined that he would have the opportunity and honor to create his sculpture. As he knows more about Martin Luther King, Jr. he felt a greater honor and heavier responsibilities.

The physical side of this project is large too. The three pieces of this project will use more than 1,000 tons of granite. In order to transport the stone from China to America, Master Lei decided to take a divided -and and-conquer strategy. Teamed with the third party who will take care of the shipping part of this project, Master Lei will divide the stone into 100 pieces, 10 tons each for standard container to pack. Once the separated pieces of stone arrive in America, the team let by Master Lei will assemble them and seal them as three whole pieces of rock.

The center piece of the project is the Stone of Hope. It is 10 meter33 feet tall, 8 26.4 meter feet wide at base and 3 9.9 meter feet wide at the top. Three sides of this sculpture (two sides and a back) will be engraved with selected speeches.

Schedule:

Here Master Lei’s general project schedule:

April 2007 – April 2008 Work on real stone based on the approved sample.

May 2008 Final touch and complete completion of the project in China

June 2008 Ship the completed pieces to the United States

August- September 2008 Finish assemble assembly and ready prepare for opening ceremony

It will be the decision of the Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation to decide which day to formally open to public. The whole sculpture project is funded solely by the Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation. The foundation has set up an object to raise US$100 millions to fund its operation. By As of the end of March, about US$$80 millions have has been raised. As it is such as a highly publicized project, large American corporations are main donors. The US$20 millions gap will be filled in short time.

Copyright © 2007 China Insight, Inc. All Rights Reserved

SOURCE (http://www.chinainsight.info/may2007/may2007masterlei.htm)

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Emphasis Added - Z