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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARTWORK TO BE UNVEILED IN COURTHOUSE LOBBY

Background Facts

TAMPA --The unveiling of artwork in honor of the late Judge George E. Edgecomb will be held on Tuesday, January 22nd, at 12:15 PM. Artist Harrison Covington, noted artist, was commissioned to create a bust of the Honorable George E. Edgecomb to be displayed in the courthouse lobby.

Judge Edgecomb passed away on January 22, 1976 at the age of 33 years, after serving on the judicial bench. The dedication of the bust will mark the celebration of his life on the anniversary of his passing. He was appointed the first African-American judge on August 13, 1973. George Edgecomb was also Hillsborough County’s first black Assistant County Solicitor and subsequently the County’s first black Chief Assistant State Attorney. Speakers at the ceremony will include Mrs. Doretha Edgecomb and their daughter.

Artist Harrison Covington is a nationally recognized painter, sculptor and art educator and has had over 40 gallery showings of his paintings. His work has been displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and other museums nationwide. Harrison Covington was the founding chairman of the USF Department of Art where he is both Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus. Mr. Covington received a Guggenheim Fellowship and his work is included in major public and private collections. The artist is a native and resident of Hillsborough County.

The bust was created using the “lost wax method” of casting. Clay is sculpted into a likeness to be used to make a plaster mold and wax is poured into the mold. The wax impression is then encased in a ceramic mold able to withstand the heat of the casting process. The wax is melted and molten bronze is poured into the mold to form the piece of art.

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