Sculptor seeks support for Goldson statue
Their acts of patriotism have earned them the title of national heroes and a permanent place in the history books. But one local artist has embarked on an ambitious crusade to create bigger than life reminders of the contributions of Belizeans who have altered the course of Belize’s destiny: George Price, Philip Goldson, Antonio Soberanis, and Isaiah Morter. Having completed his rendering of former Prime Minister Price, master sculptor Stephen Okeke is locked away in his makeshift studio working on his Philip Goldson, which is where we found him this afternoon.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Sculptor Stephen Okeke is a man hard at work. The artist has closed up his gift shop and gallery to devote all his energy to his latest personal project: the creation of a bronze bust of Belizean hero, Philip S.W. Goldson.
Stephen Okeke, Sculptor
“The premise you use to do the bigger structure is the one you use to do the smaller structures. The difference would be that the smaller one would be more easy to manipulate than the larger ones. Like now, I have a frame here that I use to handle it, to turn it around. But the smaller structure, you can have it in your hands and turn around.”
Inspiration for the piece came from old photographs. Using professional clay, Okeke estimates that mounted, the effigy will stand more than six feet tall and take five to six months to complete…in a painstakingly slow process involving thousands of man-hours… and thousands of dollars. Tonight the artist is appealing to the public to contribute to the cause…because size matters.
Stephen Okeke
“It has tremendous impact on psychosocial development. Most of the social problems we are trying to solve in Belize by one way is solved very effectively and cheaply by this. Keeping it out there, not only will young people be challenged into finding other ways of expending their youthful exuberance, but also they find another prospect into which they could channel their ambition. Young people in Belize want to become artists, but they don’t know why they should become artists, they don’t know what art is about. So this is one way they could get challenged to see, look apart from your miniature wood carvings, there is more to art than you may have seen around and that is one way of helping them do that.”
Okeke will be making the rounds on the local talk show circuit to raise the estimated fifty thousand dollars needed to complete the project. To date he has received contributions totally sixteen hundred dollars. If you would like to donate money to the monument fund, you can do so at account number 210736881 at Atlantic Bank or at Scotia Bank at number 9133783. Okeke’s previous project was a bust of George Price currently on display at the George Price Centre in Belmopan.
