By T.J. MooreNews EditorIt started with an idea.Just like the sit-in movement itself, the statue immortalizing the four who sat at the Woolworth counter forty one years ago, started with an idea.Sculptor James Barnhill’s idea, however stems from a photo — a famous shot of Jibreel Kazann (Ezelle Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, David Richmond and Joseph McNeil walking out of the resturaunt and into history. Barnhill wanted to capture the essence of the Greensboro Four by showing them not sitting but standing and marching because he thought that showing the four sitting would be dull. “Four guys sitting at a counter was static (non movement),” said Barnhill, who is artist-in-residence at N.C. A&T. Barnhill added that the four marching out of the restaurant gives a stronger visual impact.The Greensboro Four statues are intended to be a centerpiece when the campus takes shape in line with the new master plan.After the idea gained approval from Chancellor James C. Renick, Barnhill began the long process of making the statues.Ever since May, Barnhill has been scraping away to capture the spirit of the four brave and gutsy freshmen. This process of creating the statues is described as a complex process.First, Barnhill had to build the four skeletal frames and build rolling stands for support. The frames are created by one-inch steel pipes and diamond mesh material.Next, Barnhill had to take water-based clay to shape over the frame. To keep the clay from drying out, Barnhill had to keep bags over the figures. Finally, sectional molds had to be made, so the figures can go to a foundry. The foundry is the final step in the process, where the statues once made of clay will become bronze.Barnhill thinks that the fact that these four men were just ordinary college students makes that particular moment in time special. “It’s a momument of four guys, not military members or presidents, These were just people…who became heroes,” said Barnhill.Barnhill has been doing sculptors for 20 years, and he has created pieces that can be found from his native Asheville, N.C., to Mission Viejo, Calif. During his career, Barnhill believes that the Greensboro Four statue is his best work to date. “I’m actually pleased with these guys,” he said. “This is a very strong and dramatic piece.”After he has completed this statue, the current full time professor is slated to create a statue for his alma-mater, UNCG, in 2003.