GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project has been awarded $50,000 from the Massachusetts Office of Economic Development for completion of a statue of W.E.B. Du Bois to be sited in front of the Mason Public Library on the main street of Great Barrington.

 

The funding was requested by State Senator Paul Mark, Chair of the State's Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development. 

 

"Few people know that Du Bois—a civil rights giant and founder of the NAACP—was born and raised in Great Barrington," said Sen. Mark. "These funds will help complete the monument and promote Black history and tourism in the Berkshires."

 

"We are grateful to Senator Mark for supporting our efforts to recognize Du Bois and eager to join him in promoting Black history in the Berkshires," said Ari Zorn, co-chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project.

 

The non-profit Sculpture Project has partnered with Great Barrington and the Mason Public Library to redesign the library front as a community meeting place. A life-size statue of Du Bois will welcome visitors while, inside the library, a collection of Du Bois's books and private correspondence will be on display.

 

The Sculpture Project has raised $290,000 for the statue from foundations and private donors. Sculptor Richard Blake is now at work on the monument, which will be dedicated in 2025. 

 

QR codes that direct visitors to the Du Bois homestead and other Black historic sites in the Berkshires will also be developed.

 

The W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project was launched in May 2022 by a volunteer group of local citizens to recognize Du Bois' scholarly achievements in the fight for racial equality.