A dedication ceremony for a new statue on campus will be held at the Arizona State Museum today.

The museum received the statue, called “Waiting for Grandfather” by John Suazo, in October 2011 from the estate of Burt and Brenda Lazar, through their sons Larry and Adam. However, the statue was not placed outside of the museum until Jan. 8. The dedication ceremony will feature a speech by Suazo and attendees will have a chance to meet him at the museum located on 1010 E. University Boulevard at 4 p.m.

“It’s special because it’s a large sculpture and we get to permanently exhibit [it] out front to the public who constantly view it,” said Andrew Higgins, assistant ethnological collections curator. “That’s always special because a lot of the objects rotate with the exhibits that we do and are stored in cabinets.”

The sculpture is about a mother waiting to see the grandfather to show him her new son for the first time, Higgins said. Carved out of limestone, the 168-centimeter tall statue was completed in 1986.

Museum Director Beth Grindell will begin the dedication ceremony by welcoming an expected crowd of 75 to 100 people and talking about the museum and the sculpture, Higgins said. Following this, Suazo will talk about his work.

Suazo is considered an educator as well as an artist because he has a “natural propensity for sharing enlightenment,” according to a press release. Suazo is a sculptor of Taos Pueblo who has worked to offer educational opportunities for the youth. Higgins said that Suazo’s major influence comes from his uncle.

The Lazar family were avid collectors and supporters in Native American and Hispanic arts, Higgins explained, and when they passed away, their sons donated part of the collection to the Tucson Museum of Art and the statue to the Arizona State Museum.

“They had this Native American sculpture and asked if it would fit anywhere in the museum and, of course, we thought it would be great in front of our south building,” Higgins said.