Paula Slater

Paula Slater
Known forU.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument
StyleSculpture
Websitepaulaslater.com

Paula Slater is an American sculptor.

Early life and education

Born in Fullerton, California, she obtained her Associate of Arts degree in Fine Art from the Orange Coast College in 1973. In 1976, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts, followed by her Master of Arts degree in 1988 from California State University and John F. Kennedy University, respectively.[1]

Career

Slater works primarily in figurative bronze sculpture, creating realist monuments and portrait works that commemorate historical figures, military service, and civic subjects. She is most notable for her U.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument sculpture at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas (introduced to the United States Congress by Rep. Walter B. Jones and signed into law by George W. Bush), and for her public and privately commissioned busts and monuments.[2][3][4] She has been commissioned to sculpt several Congressmen and historical figures, such as Abraham Lincoln at the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Washington County Courthouse in Springfield, Kentucky, and Giulio Cesare Graziani in the Italian Air Force Museum in Rome.[5][6][7][8] Among her works is the Port Huron Tunnel Explosion Memorial (2006), a bronze sculpture in Port Huron, Michigan, dedicated to workers who died in the 1971 tunnel disaster.[9]

In 2016, Slater completed the General Vang Pao Monument, a 10-foot-high bronze sculpture installed at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, California, honoring the Hmong military leader General Vang Pao. The monument was unveiled on March 28, 2016 and includes bronze relief panels depicting his life and legacy.[10] She also created a bronze monument of General Ulysses S. Grant for the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.[11]

In 2022, Slater created My Faithful Warrior, a 1.3‑times‑life‑size bronze monument installed at the National Vietnam War Museum in Weatherford, Texas, honoring the nearly 4,000 military working dogs that served during the Vietnam War.[12]

Slater contributed to the creation of fifteen Neil Armstrong Apollo 11 spacesuit replicas for the National Air and Space Museum, displayed at Major League Baseball stadiums nationwide during the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.[13]

She also sculpted public art portraits of Canton mayor Stanley A. Cmich and federal judge Leroy John Contie Jr., installed in the renovated City Plaza in downtown Canton.[14] Slater is also the master sculptor behind the Don Salvio Pacheco Monument in Concord, CA.[15] Other of her works include the monument honoring Steven Stayner in Merced, California,[16] sculptures of Sohrab Aarabi and Neda Agha-Soltan in San Francisco,[17][18][19] the General Ulysses S. Grant Monument (2019) at the United States Military Academy, West Point,[20] and the Mahsa Jina Amini bronze bust (2025).[21][22]

Slater is a member of the National Sculpture Society, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Portrait Society of America.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "CV – Paula Slater". paulaslater.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  2. ^ Watson, C.D. "Hero Canines: Military Dogs Honored With National Monument". PetsAdviserBuzz. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  3. ^ "1st national monument for war dogs honors four-legged pup soldiers of World War II and beyond". Fox News. Associated Press. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "Two historic unveilings". NBC News. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  5. ^ Mellott, Rich (March 15, 2013). "Hidden Valley Lake sculptor's colossal carvings rich in detail". Record-Bee. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  6. ^ "Artist Feature: Paula Slater". CODAWORX. The Art Commission. February 4, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  7. ^ "City of Huntington Park to Honor City's Man, Woman of the Century and First Woman Mayor". American Towns. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  8. ^ HALL, CHRISTINA. "Final 3 chosen for memorial to Toledo firefighters; designs being unveiled today". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  9. ^ "Memorial dedicated to tunnel workers: 'to lift some heavy hearts'". www.michiganbuildingtrades.org. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  10. ^ Henterly, Emma Franklin. "Hmong remember their leader as statue of Gen. Vang Pao unveiled". The Stockton Record. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  11. ^ "West Point unveils statue of Ulysses S. Grant". www.army.mil. April 30, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  12. ^ "My Faithful Warrior". National Vietnam War Museum. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  13. ^ "Moon landing 50th anniversary brought to life in 3D print by team that includes Marin County firm". The Press Democrat. September 12, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  14. ^ "PHOTO GALLERY: Canton unveils bronze busts". Canton Repository. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  15. ^ "Concord's 150th birthday includes statue for city founder Don Salvio Pacheco". East Bay Times. July 2, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  16. ^ "Steven Stayner Memorial Unveiled in Merced". NBC Bay Area. August 31, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  17. ^ "Sohrab Aarabi 'Freedom Warrior of Iran'". CNN. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  18. ^ Imani, Amil. "An American Artist Immortalizes Neda". Canada Free Press. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  19. ^ "San Francisco Artist Pays Tribute To 'Neda'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Radio Free Europe. July 28, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  20. ^ "General Ulysses S. Grant Monument Unveiled". www.ulsterscotsagency.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  21. ^ Sculpture, Paula Slater. "New 'Mahsa Amini: Angel of Liberty' Clay (for Bronze) Bust Created by Internationally Renowned Sculptor Paula Slater". PRLog. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  22. ^ "Client Challenge". www.scribd.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
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