Finalist named for Boston Poe sculpture

BOSTON, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- The finalists have been announced in a contest to create a statue of writer Edgar Allan Poe in his hometown of Boston.

The three selected from 265 entries from around the world will submit final designs that will be reviewed later this year by the Boston Arts Commission and the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation of Boston.

"The high caliber of the artists selected as finalists signifies not only the commitment of the Poe Foundation to create an exceptional artwork for the City of Boston but also the excitement felt in Boston and beyond for Edgar Allan Poe and his work as an artistic subject," Arts Commission Director Karin Goodfellow said in a written statement.

The three finalists include a team made up of two locals -- Boston architect Robert Olson and sculptor Ann Hirsch of Cambridge. The other finalists are Oneonta, N.Y., sculptor Stefanie Rocknak and the team of Los Angeles architects Jennifer Bonner and Christian Stayner.

Each team receives a $1,000 grant to finalize the design of the statue, which will go on display at a small city-owned plaza across from Boston Common, The Boston Globe said.

Although Poe lived Baltimore, he was born in Boston in 1809.