Lawmakers Propose Dolly Parton Statue at Capitol
A new Tennessee bill would place a privately funded statue of the late singer facing the Ryman Auditorium.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Tennessee Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, has filed a bill to erect a statue of Dolly Parton on Capitol grounds, facing the Ryman Auditorium. The bill requires all funding for the statue and its upkeep to be raised privately, and it was among the first filed for next year's legislative session.
Why it matters
The filing renews an effort that stalled in 2021, when Parton asked lawmakers to withdraw a similar proposal. Parton died in September, and the bill follows a Nashville airport board vote to rename the city's airport in her honor.
The rotunda has three empty alcoves where busts of Nathan Bedford Forrest and two military leaders previously sat, and Parton's $1 million donation toward Moderna coronavirus vaccine development came within months of the 2021 proposal. The bill's passage, funding plan and installation timeline remain unresolved.
The players
Dolly Parton
Country music singer, songwriter and philanthropist known for founding the Imagination Library, a children's book-gifting program, who died in September.
Sam McKenzie
Tennessee state representative for Knoxville and sponsor of the bill proposing the Parton statue.
The details
Sponsor Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, cites Parton's scholarship gifts and her Imagination Library program, which promotes child literacy, as the basis for the honor. The bill places the statue on Capitol grounds facing the Ryman Auditorium and requires all funding for the statue and its maintenance to come from private donations.
Timeline
2021: Lawmakers considered an earlier Parton statue proposal, which Parton asked be withdrawn.
September 2026: Parton died, and Nashville's airport board later voted unanimously to rename the airport in her honor.
November 6, 2026: McKenzie filed the renewed statue bill among the first for next year's session.
Legal Context
The renewed bill revives a 2021 Tennessee proposal for a Parton statue that she asked lawmakers to withdraw, which the 2026 filing now extends after her death. Its requirement that all statue funding be privately raised mirrors the donor-funded memorials the state has relied on for past honorees.
If the bill passes, a privately funded statue of Parton would stand on Capitol grounds without public money covering its cost or upkeep. Residents would see the monument only after the funding is fully raised and construction is completed.
The takeaway
Privately funded public honors depend on sustained donor commitment, and this bill's requirement puts that burden entirely on donors rather than the state.
Further reading
Explore more on Philanthropy and how private giving shapes public honors in Tennessee.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Tennessean.
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Should Tennessee build a statue of Dolly Parton on Capitol grounds?
