December 12, 2017

The internationally-known sculptor Toby Mendez has been selected as the artist creating the Thomas Kennedy statue for the Thomas Kennedy Memorial Plaza project in Hagerstown, Maryland. The "maquette" has been created, and will be unveiled at 4:00 p.m. on December 18th at the Hagerstown City Council Chambers.

About the Artist: 

Antonio Tobias (Toby) Mendez

Sculptor - Born 1963

Toby Mendez a Maryland-based sculptor with over 30 years of sculpture experience creating significant public art. Toby was born in Denver, Colorado in 1963.

Toby apprenticed under the Academy Award-winning makeup sculptor John Chambers (credited with films such as The Island of Dr. Moreau, Mission Impossible and The Planet of the Apes Series). Chambers encouraged Toby to seek a formal education in order to develop his technique and aesthetic. Toby entered the School of the Art Institute of Chicago receiving his BFA. In 1988, He set up his studio in the Maryland/DC area where he actively sculpts both private and public commissions. Mendez primarily focuses on the figure, combining a classical figurative approach with a more contemporary eye for site design. In addition to creating lasting legacies through public art, Toby continues to create personal works for acquisition by private collectors. He has created over 30 major public works including; Thurgood Marshall Memorial for the State of Maryland; The Baltimore Orioles Legends, Six heroic Scale bronze figures of the Hall of Fame Players for Camden Yards Ballpark in Baltimore, Maryland and Three bronze panels for the United States Navy Memorial in Washington DC.