New Bedford's Herman Melville Statue Design, Sculptor Unveiled

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — The design and sculptor for New Bedford’s planned Herman Melville statue were both unveiled to the public on Friday at the Seamen’s Bethel, where the statue, when completed, will stand.

Stefanie Rocknak, an acclaimed sculptor from New York, was chosen from 41 applicants from across the United States and beyond by a committee of artists and city planners.

Rocknak is the sculptor behind Boston’s Edgar Allen Poe statue and has had her work featured in The Smithsonian, the Grolier Club in New York, the Tampa Museum of Art, and the windows of Saks 5th Ave in New York.

Her winning design, entitled “Melville and Jonah’s Journey,” was inspired by a passage from Chapter 9 of Melville’s classic novel Moby-Dick, in which Ishmael and Queequeg sat in the Whaleman’s Chapel in New Bedford – inspired by the real-life Seamen’s Bethel – and listened to Father Mapple’s sermon about Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale.

“Melville, like Jonah, was on a journey of transformation,” Rocknak wrote in her proposal. “Just as Jonah was cast back to shore to fulfill his divine purpose, Melville returned from his own voyages to write Moby-Dick – a novel that immortalized not only his personal journey but also New Bedford’s whaling heritage.”

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According to a City of New Bedford release, Rocknak’s design “captures the famous author standing firm and composed with sea swirls around his feet as three large whale ribs emerge from the water “representing Melville’s own journey into and out of the whale. Yet, Melville rises above them, his mouth open, as though beginning to speak – to tell the story of Moby-Dick, this truth.”

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell announced nearly one year ago to the day that the city would honor Melville with a statue to be built using a combination of public and private funds. The New Bedford Port Society is contributing 20 percent of the statue’s cost, up to $50,000, and is accepting donations on its website for the project.

“The opportunity to honor Herman Melville in the city that inspired the most famous literary work in the English language attracted first-class artists from across the country,” Mitchell said. “As the selection committee recognized, Stefanie Rocknak’s vision for the statue is compelling and timeless. It will be a source of pride for New Bedford residents and visitors for generations.”

The Melville statue is expected to be completed and installed within 12-15 months, according to the City.