In the late 1920s, Eleanora Fagan left Baltimore for New York City, singing to dive bars in the outer boroughs. Within a couple of years, she had changed her name to Billie Holiday and was cutting jazz records with the likes of Teddy Wilson and Benny Goodman.
Now, the borough of Queens, which heard Holiday’s haunting voice early on and became her on-and-off home in the 1950s, is commissioning a public monument to the singer outside the Jamaica Performing Arts Center.
Billie Holiday. Photo by William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress.
On May 19, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs released the proposals of its six finalists and invited the public to review and comment on the designs. The feedback period will run through the end of May, with the selection panel set to choose its final design later in the year.
The finalists are La Vaughn Belle, Nikesha Breeze, Nekisha Durrett, Tanda Francis, Thomas J. Price, and Tavares Strachan. After responding to an open call put out in late 2025, all six finalists participated in a site visit as well as discussions with Holiday scholars and family members.
Nikesha Breeze, Lady Sings the Truth: A Monument to Billie Holiday artwork proposal. Photo courtesy of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Breeze’s proposal offers an image of Holiday mid-performance, her hands clasped to her chest, with white marble gardenias in her hair. Its base bears the engraving, “Sing the Truth.” Durrett’s Bending the Note, meanwhile, is a white marble carving based on the singer’s profile, which glides upward revealing to reveal a gold underside. A rendering of Holiday’s beloved pooch Pepe sits at the base of the statue, gazing upward.
Strachan, who represented Bahamas at the 55th Venice Biennale and previously cast a monumental sculpture critiquing colonialism outside London’s Royal Academy, is taking a minimalist approach. His proposal offers Holiday’s silhouette in the form of a white vessel, one the artist calls a “container for memory.”
Thomas J. Price, Held Within artwork proposal. Photo courtesy of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Price, a British sculptor whose work recently inaugurated V&A East, presents two sleek bronze beans resting against one another on a plinth. Drawing off a photograph of Holiday cuddling with a beloved dog, Price hopes to create a portrait of authentic joy.
The other proposals approach the subject in a more conventionally representative way. Belle suggests a larger-than-life Holiday sat at the edge of a reflecting pool and enjoying some calm, offering what the artist calls “a pre-stage moment.” Davis proposes a large rendering of the musician’s head, with gardenia petals spiraling from her crown into a pond lined with blood red tiles—a nod to “Strange Fruit,” a protest song made famous by Holiday.
Tanda Francis, Blood at the Root artwork proposal. Photo courtesy of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
The project is being funded by Percent for Art program, which since 1982 has ensured that one percent of New York City’s construction project budget is spent on public artworks.
“Honoring her here in Queens, where she lived, performed, and contributed to the cultural life of the borough, makes this project especially meaningful,” Nantasha Williams, who represents New York’s 27th district, said in a statement. “This monument is an opportunity to create a lasting cultural landmark that connects residents and visitors alike to the history, creativity, and influence rooted in Queens.”
