ABOUT ALEX PAUL LOZA
Sculptor and muralist Alex Paul Loza creates monumental bronze sculptures and public art that honor people, preserve history and give lasting form to the stories of communities and institutions.
I've always believed that art can hold on to something that time cannot.
There is something deeply meaningful to me about taking a person's story, a piece of his or her history, or a memory that matters to a community and giving it a physical form. Whether I'm shaping clay with my hands, painting a mural on a wall, or watching one of my sculptures become bronze, I never forget that behind every project is a human story - and someone who cares deeply about preserving it.
That is what draws me to create this work.
Before I begin sculpting, I spend time learning about the person or story I've been entrusted to portray. I study photographs, read, listen to the people connected to the project, and look for small things that reveal character - a gesture, an expression, the way someone stood or carried themselves. Those details are where a likeness begins to become something more.
My work includes public monuments, portrait sculptures, commemorative works, awards, and murals created for communities and organizations.
One of the most meaningful projects of my career is Men in Pursuit of Justice Must Never Despair, my life-size bronze monument to abolitionist, Congressman and Father of the 14th Amendment Thaddeus Stevens. I was nationally selected by the Thaddeus Stevens Society to create the monument, unveiled in 2022 at the Adams County Courthouse in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. It is the first and only public monument to Thaddeus Stevens in the United States.
Another special commission is my life-size bronze sculpture of Little Debbie, created for the Little Debbie Park in Collegedale, Tennessee. Inspired by a 1969 photograph of a young Debbie McKee serving Swiss Cake Rolls, the sculpture celebrates the family story behind one of America's most recognizable brands. Debbie herself was involved in the process, visiting my studio to approve the sculpture before it was cast in bronze.
I also had the honor of creating The Bessie, the official Bessie Smith Legacy Award commissioned by the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Inspired by the Empress of the Blues Bessie Smith. The Bessie is presented to individuals whose leadership and service have made a lasting difference in Chattanooga.
Another special commission is The Corky, a bronze sculpture of automotive icon Corky Coker commissioned by Chattanooga's Coker Museum as its Best Hot Rod Stance Award. Presented at the Tripple Crown of Rodding, the award is personally given by Corky to the hot rod he believes best captures the character, presence and stance that defines the art of hot rodding.
But regardless of the scale of the project, what matters most to me is the connection people have with the finished work.
There is a special moment when someone stands in front of a sculpture and recognizes more than a face. Maybe they see someone they loved. Maybe they remember a story they grew up hearing. Maybe they discover a person from history for the first time. That connection is why I do this.
I know that public art can remain in a community long after all of us are gone. That carries a responsibility I don't take lightly. My hope is to create work that feels honest, human and worthy of the stories I've been entrusted to tell - work that future generations can encounter and feel that someone's life, struggle, achievement or legacy mattered enough to remember.
Because ultimately, that's what art can do.
It can turn a moment into something lasting,
It can give memory a physical presence.
And it can MAKE THEM REMEMBER.