BELLINGHAM — A renowned Seattle artist has been chosen to design a statue of Billy Frank Jr. for display in the nation’s capital, according to the Washington State Arts Commission.
Haiying Wu, who designed the Seattle Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Pioneer Square, will create a likeness of Frank for Statuary Hall at the Capitol Building, where each U.S. state can display two statues, ArtsWA said in a statement Thursday, Jan. 26.
Frank, an environmental activist and treaty rights advocate, died in 2014 and was recognized posthumously by President Obama with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Frank’s statue will stand in Statuary Hall, ArtsWA said.
Washington state currently has statues of Northwest missionary Mother Joseph and fur trader Marcus Whitman.
Frank’s statue is slated to replace Whitman’s, possibly as early as 2024, ArtsWA told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
State Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, sponsored the law to commission a likeness of the late Indigenous rights leader, whose activism is credited with ensuring the Boldt Decision, which gives Washington state tribes half of the annual fishing harvest.
“I am honored to witness the collaboration of the Billy Frank Jr. Statue Commission with the Frank family and Nisqually Tribe,” Lekanoff said in the statement.
“They are united in their dedication to ensure that the artist can convey to the world the boundless salmon spirit of Billy Frank Jr., who represents the best of who we are in Washington state — and who we strive to be,” said Lekanoff, the Legislature’s only Indigenous member.
Her 40th District includes southern Whatcom County and part of Bellingham.
Wu, a native of China, has created public art throughout the Northwest and sometimes uses the “socialist realist” style that glorifies working people.
He’s also known for creating memorials to labor activism, including the United Auto Workers strike of 1934.
Ron Allen, Tribal Chair and CEO of Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, praised the selection of an artist to honor Frank.
“Our Northwest Indian nations raise our hands to this commitment and look forward to seeing it in the Hall of Statues and, hopefully, in our State Capitol,” Allen said in the ArtsWA statement.
