Nilda Comas is a sculptor based in Fort Lauderdale. She was chosen by the Florida Council on Arts and Culture to create the new statue of Mary McLeod Bethune for National Statuary Hall, located within the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Dr. Bethune will be the first African American woman to represent a state in National Statuary Hall, and Nilda Comas is the first artist of Puerto Rican descent to create a statue representing a state.

Because National Sculpture Day was April 24, we thought she would be the perfect interview for our new Culture Builds Florida video interview series. We spoke to her via Zoom from Pietrasanta in Italy, where she is currently working on the sculpture.