Artists working on a planned Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial have submitted changes to soften the likeness of the civil rights icon after concerns that a previous rendering made him look like a socialist leader.

The changes were requested by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and considered at a meeting Thursday in Washington, D.C. The panel didn't take formal vote on the changes, but will continue watching progress of the project planned for the National Mall.

In April, the panel had criticized the depiction of King, a proponent of nonviolent political protest, as "confrontational."

Ed Jackson Jr., executive architect on the memorial project, said they had softened King's face slightly at the brow and at the mouth. The new look maintains the look of King's consternation but turns his mouth up to resemble a hint of a smile. King's arms remain firmly crossed, in part to show his determination.

Harry Johnson, president of the memorial foundation, says the design is still a work in progress until final approval from regulators in Washington.

After a fund-raising event Thursday in Atlanta, builders will leave the city with only $5.2 million left to raise for the $100 million project.

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Project Foundation expects to collect $1.8 million in gifts from Nationwide Insurance, Delta Air Lines and CVS Caremark and from individual donors during a reception and fund-raising dinner at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.

Associated Press (ENLARGE)

Sculptor Lei Yixin looks at a model of the controversial statue for the new memorial. The U.S. Commission of is holding a public meeting today on proposed revisions.

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That will bring the money raised to date to $94.8 million, including nearly $5 million in corporate and individual donations out of Georgia. About 4,000 individuals across the state, primarily in metro Atlanta, have contributed $1.9 million of the total.

In this tight budget year, the state Legislature has approved only $20,000 toward the project slated for four acres along the Potomac River Tidal Basin on the National Mall in Washington.

Thursday night's Atlanta "Dream Dinner" is one of a number of dinners and special events the foundation has held across the country to help close the fund-raising gap. Previous dinner events have been held in Philadelphia, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington.

Miami and Chicago are future possibilities as the foundation works to raise the remaining $5.2 million within the next year.

Harry E. Johnson Sr., foundation president and chief executive officer, couldn't be more appreciative of the generosity.

"We feel grateful for that," Johnson said Wednesday. "That says the citizens of Georgia, particularly Atlanta, understand what the project means to people all around the world."

At Thursday night's event, the foundation will act as both a giver and receiver.

New donors Nationwide and CVS will present checks of $1 million and $250,000, respectively.

What King stood for aligns with Nationwide's corporate philosophy in providing service to its customers, no matter what they look like or where they live, said Terrence Williams, the company's regional vice president of southern states and member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the Nobel laureate's fraternity that's spearheading the memorial project.

"I have two young children," Williams said. "I clearly want them to understand what Dr. King stood for."

Delta Air Lines is expected to give an additional $250,000, bringing its total contribution to $350,000. Also, the foundation plans to honor the King Center and the King family for their support for the project.