- "Broom Man" sculpture honoring Rev. Livingston Wills unveils Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Midtown's Turner Park
- The project has been worked on for nearly a decade
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) A sculpture 10 years in the making is set to be unveiled at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Turner Park near Farnam and Turner Boulevard in Midtown Omaha.
The "Broom Man" sculpture, created by artist John Lajba, honors Rev. Livingston Wills, a blind man who walked around Omaha selling brooms.
"As a child in South Omaha, I'd see him walking the streets," Jensen said.
Jensen, a sculpture committee member, tracked down Lajba to take on the project.
"A friend from church had suggested that we get a hold of John Lajba," Jensen said.
Lajba was not easy to reach.
"He's kind of like off the grid, so I had to go to my office and send him a letter, and he responded a couple of days later," Jensen said.
Lajba agreed to take on the commission.
"When people ask me to do a sculpture for them, it's really an honor because they could pick anybody," Lajba said.
Lajba's attention to detail was one reason he was selected for the project. He said he was deliberate about every element of the finished work.
"I'm very particular. I want it to be the right patina color for this environment," Lajba said.
The sculpture captures Wills in lifelike detail, down to the way he interacted with the brooms he sold.
"I hope people notice that he's whistling. And then his eyes are kind of looking, even though he's blind, you see the irises of his eyes looking to the right," Lajba said. "He's trying to feel the brooms, so he's feeling them with each finger."
With the final touches applied and the tarp now covering the statue ahead of Wednesday's unveiling, Lajba reflected on the experience of completing the work, comparing it to sending a child off to college.
"I go to my studio today and he's not there," Lajba said.
Jensen said he is looking forward to the sculpture finding its permanent home.
"I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled that the dedication is happening and he's got his permanent place to stand and share his presence with Omaha," Jensen said.
Lajba said the finished work reflects everything he hoped to capture about Wills.
"I really like everything about him and I think my sculpture represents a lot of things about him," Lajba said.
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