ArtsWA and the Nisqually Indian Tribe have partnered with South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) to host artist Haiying Wu as he completes a statue of Billy Frank Jr. for National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. Wu will work on the 9′-tall statue of the late Nisqually leader and treaty rights activist in the scene shop of SPSCC’s Drama program, where students and members of the community will be invited to watch the artist at work.

“I am making a historical piece, and I want to make it the best that it can be,” said artist Haiying Wu, who was selected for the project in 2023. “It’s important for Nisqually, it’s important for the Washington State Arts Commission, and it’s important for the state of Washington.”

Wu will begin his work in March 2024, embarking on an estimated four-month project based in SPSCC’s Scene Shop in the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts (Building 21, Olympia Campus). The space will be open for the public to observe and participate in Wu’s work.