Arts panel to review revised design for King Memorial

Published 9:15 am Thursday, June 19, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest design revisions for the planned Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall are being reviewed by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.

The panel had criticized the designs for the main statue of King as more resembling the head of a socialist state than a civil rights leader. The group working to build the memorial has submitted revised plans to the arts commission for discussion on Thursday.

The King memorial foundation is seeking the commission’s approval as the final hurdle to construction. The work is expected to take up to two years. The arts panel helps to oversee designs for monuments and memorials in Washington.

Also Thursday, the effort to build the memorial will inch closer its $100 million fundraising goal as organizers host a “Dream Dinner” in King’s hometown of Atlanta.

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