Salem Launches Charlotte Forten Memorial Project Call for Artists

SALEM, MA — Salem is looking to honor the legacy of Charlotte Forten with a bronze statue in the likeness of the major figure in the city's Black history at the downtown park that bears her name.

The city's Public Art Commission and Charlotte Forten Memorial Project Advisory Committee this week issued a "call for artists" for the commission of a full-sized bronze statue that will serve as a memorial in Forten Park on Derby Street, which was dedicated in 2019.

The award of up to $120,000 will go to an artist or design team chosen for the project.

Forten was an abolitionist, poet, and educator who is celebrated as the first African-American woman to graduate from Salem State University, then known as The Normal School, and to teach in Salem Public Schools.

"I'm very pleased that we're issuing this call for Artists, to help us tell the story of an important and influential woman who helped shape Salem into the great place it is today," Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. "Salem must continue to be a leader in elevating Black histories, stories, and voices in our community."

Artists and artists teams that identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) and/or female are strongly encouraged to apply. Local artists/artists teams who live or work in Salem or the North Shore are also strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information, contact Julie Barry at jbarry@salem.com or 978-619-5685.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)