Dodgers Choose Jackie Robinson for First Stadium Statue

An Oakland-based artist will sculpt a statue of Jackie Robinson that will be unveiled next season at Dodger Stadium, the team announced today.

“The Dodgers have a rich history of breaking barriers and it all began with Jackie Robinson in 1947,” Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten. “Therefore, it is altogether fitting that our first statue at Dodger Stadium be of Jackie. The class that Jackie exhibited while still performing at the highest level made everything that has happened since not only in baseball, but in many respects throughout American society, possible.”

The team has chosen sculptor Branly Cadet to create the statue. The Cornell University graduate studied figurative sculpture at the New York Academy of Art, Arts Student League, Vaugel Sculpture Studio and L’Ecole Albert Defois in France.

He previously sculpted the William Shakespeare medallion at the former Booth Theatre site in New York City and the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Memorial in front of the New York State Office Building.

The Robinson sculpture, which will be about 9 to 10 feet tall, will be themed “Leveling the Playing Field,” according to the Dodgers. The exact location where it will be placed has not been determined.

“We’re thrilled that the Dodgers will honor Jack with the inaugural statue at Dodger Stadium,” said Robinson’s widow, Rachel, founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. “Branly Cadet’s excitement for the project is heartening, and I look forward to the unveiling with great enthusiasm.”

City News Service; Photo: Wikimedia Commons