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National Memorial Project Announces Artist Finalists for Landmark Tribute
to Congressman William H. Gray III

Five Artists to Present Bold Visions for Living Legacy Memorial
at July 22 Event in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA – June 30, 2025The William H. Gray III Memorial Foundation announced today the five artist finalists selected to present full proposals for the Living Legacy: William H. Gray III Memorial Project, a major public memorial to be installed at Philadelphia’s historic William H. Gray III 30th Street Amtrak Station. The announcement follows an international Open Call for artist ideas and months of review by a distinguished Memorial Advisory Committee composed of civic, cultural, and creative leaders.

 

The five distinguished finalists will present their complete concepts and visions at a special gathering of notable community stakeholders and the Memorial Advisory Committee on July 22, 2025, at CYTO | PHL in Philadelphia. The event will also be live-streamed to reach a wider audience. Before the event, the public will have the opportunity to view the finalist proposals online and at key locations around the city during a Public Engagement Week, from July 14 to 18, 2025.

 

The memorial honoring the life and legacy of Congressman and Rev. Pastor William H. Gray III is scheduled to be dedicated in 2026. The Foundation invites public input to help shape this historic tribute to one of the nation’s most influential legislators, civic leaders, and faith voices. A broad group of organizations, civic and business leaders—including Amtrak, the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, JPMorgan Chase, Dell Technologies, Prudential, Pfizer, PECO Exelon, and Bright Hope Baptist Church— are helping to realize a bold vision for public memory in Philadelphia.

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Meet the Finalists

 

Nina Cooke John
Nina is the founding principal of Studio Cooke John Architecture and Design, a multidisciplinary design studio that values placemaking as a way to transform relationships between people and the built environment. Her studio’s Shadow of A Face, the Harriet Tubman Monument in Newark, NJ, was unveiled in 2023. She was named the AIANY New Perspectives honoree in 2024 and a 2022 United States Artists Fellow. Nina teaches at Columbia University and holds degrees from Cornell and Columbia.

 

Nekisha Durrett
A mixed-media artist, Nekisha Durrett explores overlooked histories through public art, sculpture, and design. She recently received a commission for the ARCH Project at Bryn Mawr College in partnership with Monument Lab and was the 2023 Howard University Social Justice Consortium Fellow. Her practice elevates Black life and imagination through deep research and material storytelling.

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Karyn Olivier
Trinidad-born Karyn Olivier creates sculptures, installations, and public art that interrogate memory and place. Her upcoming works include a Philadelphia memorial commemorating African Americans buried at Bethel Burying Ground. She also unveiled a permanent commission at Newark's Liberty International Airport in 2022 and was recently chosen to create a public installation in Milwaukee honoring the late trailblazer and transformative leader Vel R. Phillips. Olivier has exhibited at the Whitney Biennial and Documenta 15 and teaches at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art.

 

Paul Ramirez Jonas
Born in the U.S. and raised in Honduras, Paul Ramírez Jonas is an internationally exhibited artist and professor at Cornell University. His work encourages active public participation, with major projects including Key to the City in New York and Public Trust in Boston. In 2023, he debuted a large-scale participatory monument on the National Mall in an exhibition curated by Monument Lab.

 

Hank Willis Thomas
Hank Willis Thomas is an acclaimed conceptual artist whose work addresses identity, media, and popular culture. He has exhibited globally at venues including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the International Center of Photography, and the Hong Kong Arts Centre, and is the creator of The Embrace (2023) in Boston. His collaborative projects include Question Bridge: Black Males and For Freedoms. He holds multiple honorary doctorates and received the U.S. State Department’s Medal of Arts in 2022.

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About the William H. Gray III Memorial Foundation
The William H. Gray III Memorial Foundation was established to honor the life, leadership, and enduring impact of Congressman Gray, a visionary global statesman, educator, and business leader. The Foundation leads the creation of the Living Legacy Memorial, a national public monument at Philadelphia’s historic William H. Gray III 30th Street Amtrak Station.

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The project has been made possible through the support of many generous partners and sponsors, including JP Morgan Chase, Prudential, Pfizer, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Ariel Investments, Brandywine Realty Trust, Amtrak, Bright Hope Baptist Church, City of Philadelphia, Dell Technologies, Philadelphia Foundation, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Independence Blue Cross (IBX), PECO Exelon, PRWT Services, Leo Nissen Jr. Charitable Trust, Gray Global Advisors, and The Gray Family.

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Follow the Gray Memorial Foundation on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X, and visit www.graymemorial.org to stay current on all project announcements, events, and updates.

 

For media inquiries, interviews, or additional information, please contact:
 

Licy Do Canto
William H. Gray III Memorial Foundation
Ldocanto@graymemorialfoundation.org

(202) 997-5963

 

Rosalyn McPherson

The ROZ Group, Inc.

rmcpherson@therozgroup.com

(215) 756-3222

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