Today the first statues of actual women were unveiled in Central Park.
The iconic NYC park did have statues of women before, but they were only represented in fictional characters: Alice in Wonderland, Mother Goose, and Juliet (with Romeo). There are, however, 23 statues of historical men represented throughout the Park. [featured image source: Instagram / @rebeccacavallaronyc]
That changed when the nonprofit Monumental Women worked with NYC Parks and other NYC and women’s history organizations to bring tangible representations of important women to Central Park.
The organizations dedicated the site for the statue, on Central Park’s famous “Literary Walk,” back in 2017, and held an open call for artist submissions that ultimately went to nationally-recognized sculptor Meredith Bergmann. The statue is called the “Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument” and depicts activists Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, cast in bronze.
It was unveiled today, August 26, on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment when women won the right to vote.
The @MonumentalWomen's "Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument" was unveiled in Central Park today. The monument commemorates the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Learn more about its significance: https://t.co/lybY9u9S9J pic.twitter.com/z5bMt0c8Ow
— Central Park (@CentralParkNYC) August 26, 2020
The sculpture shows the three women working at a table, each “representing an essential element of activism,” a press release shares. “Sojourner Truth is speaking, Susan B. Anthony is organizing, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton is writing.”
You can find the new statue on “Literary Walk” in Central Park’s “The Mall,” nearest to the 72nd St. entrance. It’s also the first monument that has been added to the Park since 1965!