New Herman Melville Statue at New Bedford Whaling Museum
Clay model of Herman Melville by sculptor Stefanie Rocknak
A new statue of Herman Melville will be unveiled on Friday 14 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum as part of its Melville in Our Seaport Weekend running August 13-16.
The four-day literary and cultural series will honor Melville’s enduring influence and New Bedford’s defining role in shaping his most-celebrated work, Moby-Dick.
Anchoring the weekend celebration is the City of New Bedford’s official unveiling ceremony at 11am on August 14 when Mayor Jon Mitchell and Port Society President Phil Oliveira will reveal New Bedford’s bronze Melville statue created by sculptor Stefanie Rocknack.
Rocknak's 7.5ft bronze sculpture features Melville standing tall within a swirl of ocean waves and whale ribs. The monument captures a passage in Moby-Dick where Father Mapple gives a sermon about Jonah, the biblical prophet who was swallowed by a whale. The statue will be located at Seamen’s Bethel, a historic chapel that served as the basis for Melville’s Whaleman’s Chapel where Father Mapple gave his pivotal sermon.
