Boston’s Edgar Allan Poe Foundation, in collaboration with the city of Boston, has selected New York state sculptor Stefanie Rocknak to create a life-sized bronze statue of Poe (design depicted above) to be installed by the end of 2013 in “Edgar Allan Poe Square,” a city-owned plaza at the intersection of Boylston Street and Charles Street South, two blocks north of where Poe was born in 1809. The group is working to raise the $125,000 expected to be needed to make and install the sculpture.
The design is a gothic portrait of the 19th century writer strolling across the brick plaza with his overcoat blowing in the wind and his suitcase falling open to leave a trail of papers as well as a human heart on the ground. A raven also flutters out of the case.
“Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential writers ever born in the city of Boston. As a city proud of its rich history, I’m so pleased to see this wonderful tribute come to fruition. The statue chosen for Poe Square is full of life and motion, and is sure to inspire residents and future writers alike for generations to come,” said Boston Mayor Tom Menino said in a prepared statement.
Rocknak is an associate professor of philosophy and the director of the cognitive science program at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, where she has taught since 2001. A graduate of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, with a bachelor’s degreen in American studies and art history with a concentration in studio art, she also holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Boston University.
The design and review process received funding support from the city’s Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund.