Sculptor Littleton Alston shares his personal and creative journey from a poor neighborhood in Washington D.C. to the creation of a portrait statue of Willa Cather unveiled in 2023 as one of Nebraska’s two contributions to the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol Building and the first in that collection made by an African-American.

Littleton Alston creates works of art that focus on the essence of the human figure and human spirit. Awarded the commission to create a portrait statue of Willa Cather, in 2023 his statue was unveiled in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol Building as one of Nebraska’s two statues. Alston is the first African-American to be represented in that august collection. Alston’s work has been exhibited and collected across the country and he has completed dozens of public commissions. He grew up in Washington D.C. moving in 1989 to Omaha for a residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, after which he joined the faculty at Creighton University. He resides in Omaha with his family.