ABOUT

How did it start?

This committee, while technically “new”, is the outgrowth of the effort to replace the original Statue of Liberty at Alki Beach with a new statue and plaza. The original statue was thin copper over a concrete form, and had deteriorated from both the weather and vandalism.

The effort to put up a replacement statue was begun by the Northwest Program for the Arts, the organization that for years produced the Seattle Music Fest at Alki Beach. However, even that effort was the child of an original effort to repair and maintain the original statue, started by Tom Ansart, former owner of the Liberty Deli, which was situated across from the Alki Statue of Liberty. In total, these efforts have evolved over 15 years.

The Northwest Program for the Arts began serious fundraising for a new statue plaza in 2002, and major efforts were made between 2003 and 2006 by NPA to accomplish two goals simultaneously: to design a new plaza and statue setting for the community while making as exact a copy of the original Statue of Liberty at Alki Beach as possible, and raise the funds to pay for it. Many meetings were held over this period, and were participated in by the public, the Seattle Parks Department, NPA personnel, and architects and designers. The final design, shown here, was a synthesis of these meetings.

Fundraising efforts included grants from the Seattle Parks Department and Starbucks, private donations from individuals and companies, and the sale of “bricks”, which could be inscribed by the donors. A staff person from NPA has stated that approximately 400 bricks have been sold to date. Bricks were available privately at $100, up to $250 for businesses.

In the latter part of 2006 the statue itself was cast, this time in bronze over a steel frame. It is much sturdier than the original, but new statue itself is an exact replica of what has been at Alki Beach since 1952. At this time, the new statue and the old statue are both residing at the foundry, The BronzeWorks, in Tacoma, Washington. The new statue awaits placement on the base designed for it, which has yet to be built. The old statue will shortly have a new home in the Log Cabin Museum, just two blocks away from Alki Beach, courtesy of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.

Originally, the long-time Director of the Northwest Program for the Arts, Adam Sheridan, had projected the summer of 2007 as the target date for completion of the project. However, sometime in latter 2006 Mr. Sheridan apparently had to divert much of his energy and time to family matters, and since he was such an integral part of the entire process, the process slowed significantly.

In the autumn of 2006 Libby Carr and Debbie Nichols were contacted by Mr. Sheridan about being part of the unveiling committee for the 2007 planned unveiling ceremony. This was agreed upon, but then Mr. Sheridan was absent for the next four months. Finally, in March of 2007 Mr. Sheridan had Libby Carr and Debbie Nichols attend a meeting at the offices of NPA in Seattle. At that meeting, Adam introduced them to Ezra Graziano and Holly Santos as the new part-time Directors of the Northwest Program for the Arts. Mr. Sheridan said he had to resign his position. All agreed that Debbie Nichols would head the Unveiling Committee, when that was appropriate, and Libby Carr would start developing plans to raise money for the plaza completion. Soon thereafter her husband, Paul Carr, joined this effort.

The Northwest Program for the Arts had been holding the Music Fest since 1996, and that event was apparently their major funding source. However, this event was not held in 2005, nor was it held in 2006. It quickly became apparent that if NPA was to continue as a viable organization, Mr. Graziano and Ms. Santos felt they should devote their efforts to restarting the Seattle Music Fest, and holding it in the summer of 2007. Meanwhile, Paul and Libby Carr would resume fundraising efforts.

In those meetings, it was agreed that a new direction was needed to bring new energy to finishing this effort. It is out of that effort that Seattle Statue of Liberty Committee—Phase II was born.

How is it different from Northwest Program for the Arts?

Northwest Program for the Arts, for purposes of raising funds in a tax-deductible environment, operated under the umbrella of the Allied Arts Foundation. The Allied Arts Foundation exists to support and encourage local art organizations of various types, and had apparently been in this relationship since before the fundraising efforts for the statue began. Since the fundraising efforts for the statue were being separated from the efforts to restart the Seattle Music Fest, it was suggested that another non-profit group, more closely associated with the statue efforts, might be appropriate.

The organization of the Seattle Statue of Liberty Committee—Phase II (which we will call Phase II from this point on) is markedly different from NPA. In the first place a large committee heads it, so that the many jobs necessary to fulfilling the goal can be disbursed to many people, thereby negating the “burnout” effect too often common in efforts of this kind.

Second, there is only one goal of the committee: The completion of the Seattle Statue of Liberty project as the community envisioned it. Once that goal is reached, this committee will disband. This is also the reason we do not wish to waste time obtaining our own 501( c)(3) non-profit exemption. We would rather pass all money through another non-profit organization, which would provide tax-deductible status for contributions while also providing oversight activities for funds. That affiliation is pending, and will be accomplished shortly.

Who is getting paid in this organization?

It is normal for organizations in the fundraising business to take a percentage, or to pay a part-time staff person a salary, for coordinating activities, keeping books, reporting on events, and performing the many other tasks necessary to a successful fundraising effort. In this case, however, there are presently no funds for such a person, so Libby and Paul Carr are donating their time and their office to the effort. They have received nothing for these efforts, except the satisfaction of seeing finished what a lot of people began.

If enough funds are raised, and if money can be garnered from private grants for that purpose, then a part-time staff salary may be established. However, it is The Carrs personal belief that:

Any such “staff” money should come from a private grant established for that purpose; for example, an administrative grant.

No money donated to the Seattle Statue of Liberty Committee—Phase II for the purpose of finishing this project should be spent on anything except direct costs of the project, other than necessary advertising, promotion materials, or other direct expenses.

How much will the project cost to complete?

Matt Hutchins of Cast Architecture, a designer (who along with Chris Ezzell of eWorkshop has donated over 500 pro bono hours to this project so far) also has commercial construction experience. His estimate, in today’s prices, is $135,000 to $150,000 to complete this project. Given the number of people who have already come forward in the short time since this committee was formed, the support shown from local businesses, and the willingness of a major non-profit organization to support the committee, we believe this can be done swiftly. It just requires some teamwork, commitment, and willingness to see all the possibilities of this project coming to completion quickly..