Artist Basil Watson is creating the first statue of an African American, Civil War hero Robert Smalls, to be placed on South Carolina's Statehouse grounds.

Robert Smalls​ escaped slavery in Charleston by commandeering a Confederate ship and became a top Union naval officer and South Carolina lawmaker.

A large bronze statue of the late civil rights icon leader and Georgia congressman John Lewis was installed Friday, at the very spot where a contentious monument to the confederacy stood for more ...

Sculptor Basil Watson said, “The monument is about togetherness, about moving forward together. Harriet and Lewis worked in tandem. That was important.” ...

Basil Watson, the sculpture of the monument, speaks during the ‘Towards Freedom' monument unveiling on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the corner of North Limestone and Fourth Street in Lexington, Ky.

Thankfully, the same cannot be said for USC’s Desegregation Monument. Crafted by the world-renowned sculptor Basil Watson, the monument is balanced, just and a symbol of equality. Watson based ...

World-renowned artist Basil Watson is tasked with capturing the soul and spirit of Lewis in a statue, which will be displayed in Decatur Square.

A model by Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson for a statue the University of South Carolina commissioned him to create honoring Henrie Monteith Treadwell, Robert Anderson and James Solomon Jr., the ...

It was a brief encounter, but as with nearly everyone who ever met the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the meeting was impactful. It was 2005 at an art fair and sculptor Basil Watson, just three years ...

The artist behind the piece told NBC6 it was an honor to be apart of this mission as a way to pay homage to a living legend. “Oh it means a lot,” said artist Basil Watson. “Bolt is ...

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Basil Watson emigrated to the United States in 2002, setting up a home and studio in Lawrenceville. In addition to creating the local Hope Moving Forward monument of the ...