Having just won a Rondo Award—given in celebration of the best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation—for Best Fan Event for his 2013 H.P. Lovecraft Bronze Bust Project, sculptor Bryan Moore is now tackling Boston and its wayward son, Edgar Allan Poe, at the nation’s oldest public library, the Boston Public Library.
“I’ve always been a fan of both Lovecraft AND Poe as American authors who were truly emblematic of the horror genre,” Moore asserts. “It seemed almost criminal to me that there weren’t more tributes to them in the form of sculpture.”
Since the Lovecraft bust fundraiser (via Kickstarter) was such a phenomenal success, many asked what was next for Moore—a series of author busts seemed to be a natural progression for the artist, and Moore reasoned that Poe is the undisputed king when it comes to lasting works of horror fiction.
Originally slated as a companion piece to the Lovecraft bust in Providence, plans changed when an opportunity materialized at the historic Boston Public Library which houses many busts of legendary authors in its hallowed halls.
Moore elaborates: “While Poe has certainly been the subject of sculptors the world over, I couldn’t figure out why he was in museums and not libraries, where first time readers might be exposed to his macabre works for the first time.”
The unveiling is slated for the evening of October 30, 2014 in the Boston Public Library’s breathtaking Abbey Room.
Rumor has it that October is to be declared “Poe Month” by the Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh—in addition to the Poe bust, Boston also has the honor of unveiling sculptor Steff Rocknak’s dynamic Poe statue, “Poe Returning to Boston.” The statue will be installed at the site of Poe’s birth, complete with ravens and pages ushering forth from his suitcase.
“While I was fully aware of Steff’s beautiful sculpture, the Boston Public Library had given me the unveiling date commitment before I knew of the yet-to-be-announced statue unveiling of Steff’s sculpture. I made sure to support that project with a personal donation and to extend the olive branch, so to speak, to make sure that I wasn’t like a rogue paperboy selling papers on her corner! Steff has been great to me and I look forward to attending her unveiling on October 5, 2014,” Moore says.
The Edgar Allan Poe Bronze Bust Kickstarter fundraiser will be launched in the first week of June; more news to come.
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