VENTURA : Chavez Tribute Being Sculpted in White Stone

In a dusty, gravel-covered yard, surrounded by old photographs of labor leader Cesar Chavez, Ventura sculptor Matt Harvey chips away at four tons of travertine stone.

Harvey’s attempt to pay tribute to Chavez, who spoke frequently and lived briefly in Ventura County, has begun to materialize on the face of a giant wedge of the chalky white boulder.

With the aid of four local sculptors, Harvey is about a month away from completing a giant bust of Chavez, which he plans to donate to the Oxnard office of the United Farm Workers of America.

Paul Lindhard of Ventura bankrolled the sculpture because “the death of Cesar Chavez, who was a hero of mine, made this project meaningful.”

Lindhard, who founded a local workshop and gallery for young artists in 1986, said the materials for the carving cost about $3,500, but the time donated by the carvers has been “invaluable.”

Harvey, 27, has spent several hours a day on the piece since the project began in late June. He called the effort a labor of love.

“I’m doing this because I respect Chavez for standing up for the people,” he said. “I hope this is a reminder of what he did.”

The UFW is considering several possible locations for the sculpture, including the Oxnard home in which Chavez once lived and the recently renamed Cesar Chavez Elementary School.

Harvey said he would like to see the sculpture placed at the school. “That’s where the minds of the future are,” he said.