A century after legendary performer Josephine Baker left the United States for France, renowned Loveland sculptor Jane DeDecker is creating a bronze memorial to honor the trailblazing entertainer and activist. The sculpture, titled "Timeless Grace," will be installed near Baker's former home west of Paris, offering visitors a chance to sit beside the commemorative figure on a bench.

DeDecker, working in her sun-soaked barn studio where the warm environment keeps clay malleable, approaches her craft with deep emotional connection. "The heart is where I begin," explains DeDecker, who has built a reputation for sculpting history's most prominent women. "Sometimes I'll even layer that area so that you can kind of feel and maybe see where the heart lies." Her unique approach, which she calls "tangible greatness," aims to make these extraordinary women relatable and accessible to the public.

Josephine Baker was indeed a woman of many talents and causes. The singer and dancer was a true Renaissance woman who achieved global superstar status while simultaneously serving as a civil rights activist, a mother to a "rainbow tribe" of 12 adopted children, and even a spy for the French resistance during World War II. Baker's multifaceted life and accomplishments provide rich material for an artist dedicated to capturing the essence of remarkable women.

DeDecker, who has previously sculpted notable figures including Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart, and Emily Dickinson, wanted to capture Baker's dynamic energy in bronze. "I wanted her to be active. Her whole life was accomplishments. So I wanted her just in a rocking movement. She's alive," DeDecker explained. "I think she's almost barely tethered to this earth because she was fluid, and here and there."

The timing of the sculpture is particularly significant, marking exactly one hundred years since Baker fled the United States for France, where she found the freedom and fame that had been denied to her as a vocal Black woman in America. In France, Baker was able to express herself fully and build the extraordinary career that made her an international icon.

DeDecker was commissioned for this meaningful project by the Josephine Baker Commemorative Site. The sculpture will be permanently installed in a parkway in Le Vésinet, France, just steps away from Baker's beloved Villa Beau-Chêne, where she lived during her years in France. DeDecker, who is best known for creating the national women's suffrage monument, brings her expertise in commemorating influential women to this international project.

For DeDecker, the responsibility of sculpting historical figures carries deep personal significance. "It's an honor for me to sculpt someone and I take it very seriously," she reflects. "Sometimes I ask permission. I'm like, if you're out there, come here and visit, be with me. Let me bring you back for everyone." This spiritual approach to her work demonstrates the reverence with which DeDecker approaches each commission, seeking to channel the essence of these remarkable women into lasting bronze tributes.