News
Pryor has a permanent place in Peoria. Finally.
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 05 May 2015 20:02
- Written by Kevin Kizer
On a Sunday afternoon that saw temperatures reach the 80s, Richard Pryor Jr. was dressed in a full tuxedo under the harsh glare of the sun. He couldn’t have looked cooler.
After all, it was on this Sunday, May 3, 2015, that the statue of his father, Richard Pryor, was unveiled at the corner of State and Washington Streets in Peoria’s Warehouse District.
“We can really hold our heads up high and feel proud…it’s not too often you see a parent or a family member immortalized in bronze,” said Richard Jr. reflecting on the event afterwards. “And then to see people taking pictures with him? It’s awesome.”
A large and diverse crowd of over 300 gathered to watch the unveiling, which was hosted by Garry Moore and featured brief comments from Mayor Jim Ardis, Councilwoman Denise Moore, State Rep. Jehan Gordon, Pryor Jr., Rev. Howard Johnson and the artist, Preston Jackson.
“Thank God we finally got this done…it’s important to our city and to our country,” said Mayor Ardis, undoubtedly summing up the feelings of the hundreds in attendance. Give Ardis credit – he has always been a supporter of the cause going back to his days on the city council.
Even though Pryor’s standup career spanned from the ‘70s into the early ‘80s (and he stopped making movies in the late ‘80s), his influence clearly extends beyond only those who are old enough to remember him. A good example of that was Peorian Richard Kirchgessner, who turned out with his son, Michael – two generations of Pryor fans.
“I’ve always been a fan and he (son Michael) learned from me,” said Richard.
As the statue is located adjacent to the Peoria Historical Society, the organization set up a display of historic photos of homes and bars related to Pryor’s life, none of which are standing today.
“We are really excited (about the statue) because now we get to see Richard every day,” said Mark Johnson, Peoria Historical Society President.
While most in attendance were from Peoria, quite a few were from out of town including, most notably, the lovely Red Hat Divas from Springfield, Ill., who cut a colorful figure in their crimson and purple ensembles.
John Viramontes travelled from Chicago not only out of respect for Pryor, whom he saw perform at Chicago’s Arie Crown Theater, but also for artist Preston Jackson as well.
“It has only been since 2004 that I've come to realize the importance of the arts. Before 2004, I was basically an outsider looking in regarding the art world,” he says. “I owe it to Preston Jackson, (Chicago artist) Chapman Kelley and other creatives who changed my view of art and its place in the world.”
The day marked the end of a long, nine-year road to get the statue created and, ultimately, financed. The latter proved to be, as with so many things in the art world, the biggest challenge.
Created by Jackson and championed by the African-American Hall of Fame, the project itself had been in something of a holding pattern the past couple of years as the group attempted to raise the $130,000 needed to complete the 7-1/2’ bronze sculpture.
Thankfully, in September 2014, the project got the boost it needed in the form of comedians George Lopez, Mike Epps, D.L. Hughley, Eddie Griffin, Cedric the Entertainer and Charlie Murphy who performed in a fundraiser at the Peoria Civic Center. Ticket sales from the event put the project over the top financially and planning for a May unveiling began in earnest.
On May 3, that long, tumultuous journey came to an end as the blue tarp (and a second white tarp) was pulled from the bronze visage of Pryor – captured in mid-performance – that will forever tower over the corner of State and Washington Streets.
Finally Richard Pryor has gotten the recognition (or, more directly, the love) from his hometown that he has been shown by so many others.
“Peoria opened its eyes and caught up with the rest of the world,” said Richard Jr.
The story of the prodigal son has often been brought up in the case of Richard’s relationship to Peoria. Except the wrong roles are usually assigned to the wrong players. Richard didn’t return a failure to be accepted back into the familial fold. Just the opposite. The city of Peoria, after years of running away and denouncing Richard, finally returned to him on a bright, warm Sunday afternoon in May.
And although Richard shuffled off his mortal coil so many years ago, on May 3, 2015, those who were closest to him – those with the same blood running in their veins – were on hand to finally bear witness to this return on his behalf.
It’s about time.
Photo Captions: Artist Preston Jackson and Richard Pryor Jr. say a few words before unveiling the Richard Pryor statue at the corner of State and Washington Streets in Peoria on May 3, 2015
Photo Credit: Jeff Noble, Light Field Theory
