(CNN) Former President Barack Obama is joining a "City of Presidents" in western South Dakota.

A life-size bronze statue of Obama was unveiled Saturday in Rapid City. The sculpture, created by artist James Van Nuys, is part of a collection of figures honoring past US presidents throughout the city's downtown district.

But Obama's statue is slightly different than the others.

The City of Presidents project, the private group behind the statues, initially planned to release the statue within nine months and it took them about two years. Members had planned to show Obama only standing and waving when they decided to brainstorm more ideas.

"One of us said, 'This is boring. This is not going to have the wow factor,'" said Dallerie Davis, the group's co-founder. "A man waving is not a showstopper."

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