The sculptor’s progress this spring on the Joseph Vaughn sculpture/Photo: Steven Whyte Sculpture Studios
Steven Whyte a Carmel, California-based sculptor whose works include international social justice figures, was chosen by the university working group and approved by the Board of Trustees.
In his proposal for the Furman commission, Whyte wrote, “For more than a decade, I have been purposely seeking out projects focused on diversity and social justice. In addition to my belief that our society, as a whole, benefits when we open ourselves up to new experiences and a diversity of narratives, I find subjects like Mr. Vaughn artistically challenging.”
Among other works, Whyte created busts of Abraham Lincoln, Congressman John Conyers Jr., and two busts of Martin Luther King Jr. His work for other universities includes a life-sized African elephant for Tufts University and several pieces for Texas A&M, including a 40-foot long statue of 12 students, 1.6-times life-size, with arms linked singing Texas A&M’s fight song.
Whyte studied at the prestigious Sir Henry Doulton School of Sculpture, which served as a catalyst for a remarkable career in portrait sculpture.
In 2016 Whyte was awarded the Sports Artist of the Year by The United States Academy of Sports and The American Sport Art Museum & Archives and The Smithsonian Institute chose his portrait bust of U.S. Congressman John Conyers for the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection.
