The Martin Luther King National Memorial Foundation has commissioned a 30-foot statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be carved from Chinese granite by sculptor Lei Yixin for installation on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This decision has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that domestic granite and U.S. artisans should have been prioritized for the project. John Castaldo, director of the Barre Granite Association, emphasized that the lack of consideration for U.S. granite and sculptors raises concerns about the project's integrity.
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http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/12/26/proposed_king_statue_proving_controversial/9202/WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A plan for a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be chiseled in Chinese granite by a Chinese sculptor for the U.S. capital is under fire.
The Martin Luther King National Memorial Foundation is working with Lei Yixin on a 30-foot statue of the slain civil rights leader to be erected on the National Mall in Washington. But the choice rubs wrong those who think the stone should come from a domestic quarry and be carved by a U.S. artisan, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported Wednesday.
"To say there's nobody in the U.S. who could do this project -- there's something else going on here," said John Castaldo, director of the Barre Granite Association, a granite industry trade association. "The issue is, no granite in the U.S. is being considered and no sculptors from the U.S. are being considered."
I dunno, Cy! It will probably be made of granite, but the radium content will be high enough to make the pigeons glow in the dark.Cyrus said:Watch that statue come back made of solid lead. You heard it here first people.