NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Though a museum erected in his honor fell through earlier this year, the county still has its sights set on honoring NBA’s GOAT and former Wilmington native at its Project Grace development.
READ MORE: Michael Jordan museum planned as part of Project Grace
ALSO: Michael Jordan Museum won’t move forward with Project Grace
County officials have put out a request for proposals for area artists to submit renderings of a Michael Jordan-inspired sculpture. It will be installed in Project Grace’s outdoor plaza as part of the new combined public library and Cape Fear Museum site, currently under construction in a 3-acre block between Second and Third streets, Chestnut and Grace streets in downtown Wilmington. Project Grace is a public-private partnership between Cape Fear Development and the county.
The sculpture will be large-scale and placed in a “highly trafficked” area near the front entrance, according to the county. It will honor the former basketball player and Hall of Famer, as well as the impact the Jordan family — particularly through the James R. Jordan Foundation — has had on communities from a local to global scale.
The county explains as part of the RFP:
“The artwork must connect with and motivate the community and be a symbol for lifting others up, with an emphasis on children and families. It should depict strong values, a journey to excellence, and a drive to succeed and dream big. The power of family and the importance of a strong foundation for children to grow need to be a key element in the artwork. It should also reflect the lasting legacy and impact that Michael Jordan and his family have had on Wilmington and New Hanover County.”
The Jordan family was in talks with New Hanover County officials last December about possibly bringing a standalone Michael Jordan Museum to Project Grace. The county entered a memorandum of understanding with the Jordan family to include schematic designs and operational details of the partnership; however, those talks fizzled out by spring.
According to county spokesperson Alex Riley at the time: “The Jordan family determined during its review they could not dedicate the time necessary at this point to see a stand-alone museum through to completion.”
Despite those plans being thwarted, the county said discussions were productive with the family for potential collaboration in the future, including continuing to offer the Cape Fear Museum memorabilia that highlights Michael Jordan’s life and career.
Currently, Jordan is honored in a permanent exhibit at the Cape Fear Museum, “Michael Jordan: Achieving Success,” installed in the 1980s; the county worked with the Jordan family to retrieve exhibit items. His name is also featured in the Michael Jordan Discovery Gallery — a hands-on science exhibit in the museum, for students to learn about ecosystems and geology, weather, plants and animals.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Jordan attended Laney High School in Wilmington before excelling his sports career in college to win championships for the UNC Tar Heels. His championship-winning career with NBA’s Chicago Bulls lasted through the Nineties and Jordan played with the Washington Wizards in the early aughts before officially retiring.
Despite being in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, United States Olympic Hall of Fame (he won two gold medals in 1984 and 1991), and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame, he is absent from the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame. A portion of I-40 is named in his honor and it appears at his Laney High School alma mater in the Michael Jordan Sports Complex.
The basketball player also funded two Novant medical facilities for underserved communities, one of which opened on Greenfield Street earlier this year, the other under construction at Princess Place Drive and 30th Street.
However, a sculpture of the basketball player is not featured in the city.
“This will be a unique centerpiece in the community that is long deserved,” the county notes in its RFP document.
Artists that submit renderings of a sculpture in the Jordan family’s honor will submit original concepts, a letter of intent, examples of previous work in the same vein, and will go through an interview process.
The maximum budget allowed will not exceed $540,000 and include all costs for design and installation, artist(s) fees, travel, lodging and per diem, insurance, materials, shop drawings, graphic design, and transportation costs.
A subcommittee will evaluate applications and final approval is subject to board of commissioners’ approval. Applications are open through Jan. 13, 2025 at 5 p.m. The goal is to have the sculpture installed by the time the Cape Fear Museum opens in 2026.
Tips or comments? Email info@localdailymedia.com.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
