NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — New Bedford's latest piece of public art will honor its legacy as the Whaling City: a statue of "Moby-Dick" author Herman Melville. The city kicked off its annual "Moby-Dick" marathon weekend by unveiling the winner of its Melville statue design contest— an eight-foot bronze statue of the writer surrounded by a swirling sea, titled "Melville and Jonah's Journey" by sculptor Stefanie Rocknack. Rocknack's proposal was chosen from a pool of 41 submissions and pays homage to the Seamen's Bethel's cameo in Chapter 9 of "Moby-Dick," where the narrator Ishmael attends a sermon about the Biblical figure, Jonah at the historic New Bedford chapel. "Statues are many things," New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said at the ceremony. "They can be tourist attractions, they can be stops on historical tours, but fundamentally we want to say something about New Bedford's identity as a special place in America," he continued, calling the city a "place that continues to go to sea and live out its values and is interesting in its own right." According to a city release, the stature will take 12-15 months to complete and will be installed prominently outside the Seamen's Bethel. New Bedford's "Moby-Dick" marathon begins at noon on Saturday, Jan. 4, at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, with special guest Karyn Parsons reading the book's iconic first line: "Call me Ishmael." Museum admission will be free on Saturday and Sunday in observance of the celebration. LEARN MORE: 29th annual ‘Moby-Dick’ marathon takes place in New Bedford Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now This Week in Good News SIGN UP NOW