Sculpting Black history – 1-on-1 with artist Basil Watson
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Sculptor Basil Watson has spent much of his life creating unforgettable sculptures.
“What’s going through your head when you start to design a statue?” asks ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams. “Well I look at the context in particular. I search the web, books — where I can find photographs — and use that as a starting point to create a holistic design,” says Watson.
The Jamaican artist got his start as a sculptor when he was just 18-years-old, following in his father’s footsteps, who was also an artist.
Fifty years later, his portfolio now includes a 12-foot statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., now standing near Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, a 12-foot memorial of Congressman John Lewis, installed at the Historic Decatur Courthouse in 2024, and a life-size sculpture of Rosa Parks, now located in Legacy Plaza in Mobile, Alabama.
“What we have experienced is that a lot of stories that revolve around Black History, which is American History, have been subdued. Not just ignored, but subdued. And so it’s a great honor and privilege for me to get to shed light on these issues,” he says.
In 2024, Watson was commissioned by the University of South Carolina to create a statue honoring the first Black students admitted to the school following desegregation.
The 12-foot memorial now stands near McKissick Museum on the school’s historic Horseshoe.
“I’m hoping to uplift people to think that they are carrying a legacy of achievement, a legacy of struggle for this justice, and generally create a sense of pride and um, inspire people to uplift themselves,” says Watson.
In the coming months, he’ll will sculpt a monument of Robert Smalls — following a bipartisan effort at the State House to honor the South Carolina man born into slavery in Beaufort. Smalls later commandeered a Confederate ship before turning it over to the U.S. Navy. He later gained his freedom and his family’s freedom, later serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“This design has him dressed in his tuxedo at the height of his career. Former slave who has risen to high office in the government. A man of achievement of pride, being elevated by education in his quest for equality freedom justice and so on,” says Watson.
The sculptor expects to begin Smalls’ statue later this year. From there he says it’ll take him a year to a year-and-a-half to complete.
“I want to stress the value, or the importance of creating an environment that reflects our values — and sculpture is one way of doing this,” says Watson.
