Sculptor hopes statue reveals King’s soul

Saturday, Jan. 13, 2001 | 10:29 a.m.

What: Martin Luther King Jr. statue unveiling ceremony and Martin Luther King Jr.Community Resource Center grand opening festivities.

When: Noon Jan. 20.

Where: 2424 Martin Luther King Blvd.

Special Guests: Speakers Martin Luther King III and artist Tina Allen.

Cost: Free.

Sculptor Tina Allen recently recalled a time in Knoxville, Tenn., when she watched a group of children playing on a bronze statue of Alex Haley, which she created for the city's Haley Heritage Square Park.

As the children sat on the 5-ton statue of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Allen said she overheard a little boy telling another child, "My dad has ears like Alex Haley."

Within the child's boasting is the premise of Allen's artwork.

"I want children to be able to say, 'Greatness comes from people who look like me,' " Allen said during a phone interview from her Los Angeles studio.

That statement has become a slogan for the internationally renowned sculptor, whose works include a bronze bust of Ralph Bunche, the first black American to receive the Nobel Peace Price, and Sojourner Truth, an anti-slavery activist.

Her recent work, a 12-foot-high bronze statue of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will be unveiled Jan. 20 in North Las Vegas.

Holding the U.S. Constitution, a Bible and a globe of the world, the statue stands at the center of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue.

"He looks meditative and spiritual," Allen said, adding that she hopes that people will respond to the statue with the response: "I am standing in the shadow of a great soul. I can be more."

"Martin Luther King is more than a set of conditions he changed," Allen said. "He is a way of life."

Born in the West Indies, Allen was raised among a family of musicians, including her father, Gordon "Specs" Powell, a professional percussionist. Her uncle was a sculptor and bass player.

"I always believed you could make a living supporting your family by making art," Allen said.

Allen began painting at age 5. She studied visual arts at the University of South Alabama, Pratt Institute in New York and the University of Venice in Italy.

Allen said she always knew she would create artwork reflecting great leaders and people from the black community.

"I've always had this message," Allen said. "I've been singing the same song relentlessly. Other artists thought it would pigeonhole me, limit my career. That couldn't be farther from the truth."

She designed the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, sculpted a life-size bust of late U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and a statue of black labor leader A. Philip Randolph. During the '90s Allen presented the sculpture "The Icon I -- Tribute to the African American Man" to Nelson and Winnie Mandela.

Her upcoming projects, she said, include a George Washington Carver statue to be created for the Missouri Botanical Garden and a Dorothy Dandridge statue, which will have a home in Culver City, Calif.

"These pieces are part of an ongoing body of work that writes our history in bronze," Allen said. "There are many wonderful stories that happened in America and couldn't have happened anywhere else."

The sculptures represent contributions made by blacks in all areas of society.

"These people were honored and enlarged to mammoth proportions because of their soul," Allen said. "When we use aesthetics as a measure of greatness, what we're doing is reducing the amount of creative potential this country has to offer. It's time to refocus attention on substance."

The Martin Luther King Jr. plaza in North Las Vegas is being created as an inspirational center. The statue of King stands on a black granite foundation and reflecting pool. Palm trees, benches and a wall featuring King's most famous quotes decorate the plaza.

Spearheaded by County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, construction of the plaza is a project that falls under Southern Nevada's enterprise community. Southern Nevada was selected in 1994 to be an enterprise community as part of President Clinton's challenge to revitalize economically depressed areas.

Other projects include the new Shade Tree shelter for homeless women and children and a new dental center serving low-income residents.

The land for the plaza was donated by Chic Hecht, a former U.S. senator and ambassador, said Douglas Bell, manager of community resources management for Clark County. Nearly $42,000 was donated by the private sector for the statue.

"The statue reflects a coming of age in our community," Bell said, noting that racial segregation in hotels lasted until the mid-1960s in Las Vegas, and until the 1940s blacks were not allowed to purchase homes.

"I hope (the statue and plaza) inspires youth to realize that the history of America is made by all of us," Bell said. "Not just one racial group.

"It's important for people to identify with heroes." Kristen Peterson

is an Accent feature writer. Reach her at 259-2317 or kristen@lasvegassun.com