On January 19, people across the U.S. will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This holiday recognizes King’s work as one of the most important leaders of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He worked for equality for all people. Sadly, King was killed in 1968. People honor him with statues and memorials worldwide.
This spring, a new statue of him will be placed in a plaza in Cincinnati, Ohio. The statue will be made of bronze, a mix of the metals copper and tin. Metalworkers will pour melted bronze into a mold shaped by an artist. Sculptors often use bronze because of its special properties. Bronze is durable, even in harsh weather.
“I want to use my artwork as a way of teaching,” says artist Stephen Hayes. He’s sculpting Cincinnati’s new King statue. “It’s important to tell King’s story and inspire the next generation of movers, shakers, and thinkers.”