The sculpture by Elaine Antonio Bordeaux and Fritz Silorio features the figure of Dr. Jose Rizal in bronze on a pedestal. Dr. Rizal was a scholar, writer, physician, and reform activist who helped inspire the Independence movement in the Philippines. Despite his advocacy of peaceful reforms, in 1896 at age thirty-five, he was arrested, tried, and publicly executed for sedition by Spanish authorities. He became a national hero after his death. Sculptor Elaine Antonio Bordeaux is a Filipina American lawyer as well as the President and Executive Director of the Dr. Jose Rizal Legacy International Foundation. Fritz Silorio is a Filpino artist, filmmaker, production designer, and sculptor.
This summer, a new sculpture honoring Dr. José Rizal was added to the City of Colorado Springs Public Art Collection in care the care of the CSPM. Located at George Fellows Park, this sculpture was donated to by the Dr. Jose Rizal Legacy International Foundation. Efforts to create the sculpture began in 2023 as a community-led initiative to honor the Philippine national hero and to celebrate the growing Filipino American presence in Colorado. After several years of tireless fundraising and organizing, the sculpture was unveiled and dedicated in a ceremony on July 27, with descendants of Dr. Rizal and dignitaries in attendance including Philippine Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer.
The Dr. Jose Rizal Legacy International Foundation is a Colorado based non-profit dedicated to preserving, promoting, and perpetuating the ideals and principles of Dr. Jose Rizal. The organization’s goal is to carry his teachings and insights into the present day as well as celebrate Filipino arts, culture, and history. For the organization, the sculpture stands as landmark of intercultural friendship and education in Colorado Springs as its creation took broad collaboration among civic partners, artists, and the Filipino American Community. The CSPM thanks the Dr. Jose Rizal Legacy International Foundation for selecting Colorado Springs as the home of the first piece of Filipino Public Art in Colorado. We encourage you to visit George Fellows Park near the PPLD East Library to see the sculpture in person and learn more about this fascinating history.
Caitlin Sharpe, Registrar
719.385.5654 | caitlin.sharpe@coloradosprings.gov