After 15 years, sculpture of Rosa Parks receives makeover
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The life-size bronze sculpture of Rosa Park has been given a makeover.
With the 60th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott on Tuesday, sculptor Erik Blome recently returned to touch up the sculpture 15 years after the statue was placed in the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery. The sculpture was touched up after wearing down and losing some color from constant touching and interaction.
Blome restored the sculpture Nov. 19, the Montgomery Advertiser reported. The sculpture depicts Parks sitting on a bus seat, hands settled on a purse in her lap.
Most of the wear on the sculpture occurred on Parks’ hands and purse when museumgoers would sit next to her, Blome said. He said the amount of wear after 15 years is somewhat unusual for an indoor sculpture.
“Most of my sculptures don’t wear out quite like that from interaction,” Blome said. “Most people just look at sculptures and mostly touch them here and there.”
The vacant seat next to her also received a fair share of interaction with museumgoers, but Blome said that was part of the idea for the sculpture.
“But that piece was especially designed to be interacted with,” Blome said. “It really screams out for people to sit on her. And then they do.”
Blome said oils from hands will dissolve the wax and lacquer coating, which will eventually eat through the color.
Moving forward, the museum will no longer allow museumgoers to sit with the statue of the famed civil rights activist. The statue of Parks was moved to a new spot in the front atrium of the museum.
“It’s in a more noticeable spot so visitors can see her in this place of prominence as soon as they come in,” Museum Scheduler Donna Beisel said. “We have the stanchions that will rope her off just to protect the finish.”