Call for artists to create Billy Graham statue

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In 2015, then North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed House Bill 540 and passed into law that a statue of evangelist Billy Graham would be commissioned to represent the state in the U.S. Capitol.

The North Carolina Statuary Hall Committee officially met in December at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to start the process of installing the statue of Rev. Graham.

"The U.S. Capitol holds a special significance in my father's ministry — he shared the Gospel there and it's where he was given the distinction to Lie in Honor," said Franklin Graham, president and chief executive officer of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. "Our hope is that adding his likeness to Statuary Hall will continue to bring awareness to my father's life work of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and allow the message he preached to be shared with those who visit for many years to come."

The house bill calling for the statue stated, "There have been many great North Carolinians, but few have impacted the world more than Billy Graham."

Graham, who preached the Gospel to more than 215 million people over his more than 70-year ministry and counseled countless world leaders, was named North Carolina's Favorite Son in 2013.

The National Statuary Hall is located along the perimeter of the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Each state is permitted to have two statues representing important historical figures from their state on display in the Hall and subsequent Capitol Visitor Center. Following Graham's death in 2018, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper formally requested the replacement of one of the existing statues that represent North Carolina with the statue of Billy Graham.

With only 100 statues on display at any given time, the commission of a sculptor for the National Statuary Hall statue is a rare and unique opportunity. Artists who are interested in being considered for the commission will find a full request for qualifications specifications at bit.ly/NC-Statuary-Hall-BillyGraham-RFQ.