This is a very life like statue of Civil Rights pioneer Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was dedicated in January 2021. You will find this wonderful statue in the median, overlooking Mercedes Benz Stadium, at the intersection of Northside Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The statue is the work of Basil Watson, whose works have honored John Lewis, Queen Elizabeth II, Usain Bolt.
The bronze statue sits 12 feet tall and is perched on a 6 foot pedestal. The sculpture has an uncanny resemblance to MLK and depicts King releasing a dove from his right hand. The sculpture's artwork is nice, but the inscriptions on the base takes it to another level. The front of the base reads, "DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968 / Dedicated by the /CITY of ATLANTA / 2021 / "HOPE MOVING FORWARD" / Sculptor: BASIL WATSON". Additionally, the MLK QUOTES "HATE CANNOT DRIVE OUT HATE; ONLY LOVE CAN DO THAT", "DARKNESS CANNOT DRIVE OUT DARKNESS; ONLY LIGHT CAN DO THAT" and "IF YOU CAN'T FLY THEN RUN, IF YOU CAN'T RUN THEN WALK, IF YOU CAN'T WALK THEN CRAWL, BUT WHATEVER YOU DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD" (my favorite),
are all inscribed on the base as well.
There is some metered street parking available if you would like to check out this sculpture up close and personal. I can on an early weekend morning and had no issue getting a good look at the statue. If you are quick, and traffic is slow, you may be able to park near the statue, jump out and take a quick look.
I really like this statue and it overlooking the Arena makes for a great photo. With that being said, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop at all. I was there less than 10 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. read more