Progress is moving along on a new statue to be placed in Bouligny Plaza commemorating novelist James Lee Burke, according to members of the committee heading the project.

The committee heading the placement of a James Lee Burke statue recently met with Houston-based artist Shirley Scarpetta who gave an initial rendering of the statue design.

Paul Schexnayder, who is on the committee, said the meeting went well and additional input was given for a more personalized design.

“It went really well, we gave some suggestions and she will be coming back,” Schexnayder said.

Burke, who has lived in New Iberia and visits often, is the author of the Dave Robicheaux series which depicts the protagonist solving crimes with the Teche Area as a backdrop.

The statue is planned to be placed across the street from Victor’s Cafeteria, which is also prominently featured in many of Burke’s books.

Schexnayder said last year that the idea of a Burke statue came from a tourist visiting the city, and the concept quickly resonated with many in the New Iberia arts and culture community to create an homage to Burke’s famous character.

Burke and his novels have been consistently promoted by New Iberia for years, most notably with the Books Along the Teche Literary Festival which was initially conceived as a way to draw in James Lee Burke fans all over the world to New Iberia in order to give an up close and personal look at the area that is heavily featured in several of Burke’s novels.

Although not a native, Burke grew up spending parts of the year in New Iberia and eventually returned to live in the city for a number of years with his wife.

The Dave Robicheaux series depicts the titular character as a former homicide detective with the New Orleans Police Department who lives in New Iberia and works as a detective at the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office. The history, culture and geography of New Iberia play a large role in the books.

Donations for the statue are being accepted through the project’s Gofundme page. The page can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/JLBStatue?qid=f112598daa30d10da0f1b31a412c372e.