The Dream (sculpture)

The Dream
The sculpture in 2016
Artist	Michael Florin Dente
Completion date	August 28, 1998 (1998-08-28)
Medium	Bronze
Subject	Martin Luther King Jr.
Dimensions	8 feet (2.4 m) tall
Location	Portland, Oregon
Coordinates	45°31′48″N 122°39′43″W / 45.5298688°N 122.661991°W / 45.5298688; -122.661991
Owner	City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council
Website	www.artbydente.com/The_Dream.html

The Dream, also known as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Sculpture,^[1] is an outdoor bronze sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. by Michael Florin Dente, located outside the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. The 8-foot (2.4 m) memorial statue was dedicated on August 28, 1998, the 35th anniversary of King's "I Have a Dream" speech. It depicts King plus three allegorical sculptures: a man who symbolizes the American worker, a woman who represents immigration, and a young girl shown releasing King's coattail, who represents, according to Dente, the "letting go" that occurs when people sacrifice their time and energy to engage in a struggle. The sculpture is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection, courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Lee P. Brown and Vera Katz, mayors of Houston and Portland, respectively, were present at the dedication ceremony. The memorial has been used as a reference point for gatherings. It has also appeared in public art guides and walking tours. Seventy-five bronze replicas of the work exist, and Dente planned to send pieces of the original mold to each of the replicas' owners once all were sold.