NEWS FLASH: The Doris Miller Memorial Jury Committee selected the work of architect Stan Carroll, Oklahoma City, OK, and sculptor Eddie Dixon, Lubbock, TX, as the finalist for the Doris Miller Memorial Project. The project design was recently approved by the city of Waco, and groudbreaking is projected for fall 2011.
Fundraising is under-way for the memorial of local, national and international importance. Last year the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Foundation contributed a gernerous $25,000 donation that has since been matched by a private donor. Donations of any amount are welcome, and donations to help fund the Doris Miller Memorial can be made through Pay Pal.
OBJECTIVE
To create a memorial to honor Doris Miller to include a place for reflection and learning.Budget: The total budget for this exterior art work is $1,350,000, which includes all expenses and fees of the artist(s), as well as engineering costs, on site delivery, site preparation and installation. All types of proposals are encouraged including figurative, historical pictorial components and those that may incorporate water, landscape elements, etc.
SITE LOCATION
The site for the proposed sculpture is located in Bledsoe-Miller Park on the east bank of the Brazos River, where it passes through the center of downtown Waco. The Park is named for Jules Bledsoe, an African American opera singer who was best known for his performance of Old Man River in Jerome Kern’s original production of the musical Showboat; and Doris Miller, a World War II hero who was recognized for his acts of bravery during the bombing of Pearl Harbor and became the first African American sailor to be awarded the Navy Cross.
While located in the heart of the city, the site is characterized by a grassy bank that slopes gradually down to the waters edge providing a place for quiet solitude and reflection. Across the river from Bledsoe-Miller Park is Indian Spring Park that pays homage to the Waco Indians from whom Waco takes its name. The two banks of the river are joined by a historic suspension bridge that serves as a pedestrian link between Indian Spring Park on the west bank of the river and the Bledsoe-Miller and Martin Luther King Parks on the east bank. Built in 1870 as a toll bridge, it was the first bridge to span the Brazos River and first suspension bridge west of the Mississippi. Linked to the historic Chisholm Trail, cattle drives crossed the bridge on their way north.
Finally Bledsoe-Miller Park is located on a beautifully landscaped and lighted serpentine path along the river that is perfect for a scenic stroll, jog, or bicycle ride near the water’s edge. As an important part of its vision for the future, the city sees the continued development of the Brazos River Corridor as the catalyst for bringing new vitality to the city’s center. This important place on the banks of the Brazos River has truly come to symbolize Waco’s beginning and future.
The Doris Miller Memorial Sculpture Project, though figurative in nature has no limits on the style or choice of materials for the site, beyond inherent physical constraint of the location.
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