Ten statues of famous women were installed in New York this week as part of an international project of Australian artists to highlight the gender imbalance in monuments. Media superstar and talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey, Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett and Olympic triple gold medalist Gabby Douglas are part of the public-picked personalities to be sculpted in bronze.
The statues, which are about two meters high, are the work of Gillie and Marc Schattner’s sculptors, who want women to have a fair representation in public art.
On their website, they point out that less than 3% of New York statues are women. The garrison is similar in London (3%) and Sidney (4%), add.” It’s spectacular!” said Leslie Daniels, 46, when she stopped to look at the facility on Manhattan Avenue 6 near Rockefeller Center.
“Women are big contributors to society and we’re simply overlooked. It’s encouraging to see this,” he added. The statues, discovered on Monday on Women’s Equality Day, feature inspiring women from different backgrounds. They are mostly American and were suggested via the Internet. Astronaut Tracy Dyson, singer Pink, actress Nicole Kidman and author and transgender activist Janet Mock are some of those who appear in a powerful pose over a flower of their choice. Writer Cheryl Strayed, feminist activist Tererai Trent and English conservationist Jane Goodall are also part of the staging.
“I think it’s great,” said Corinne Gudovic, 42, as he looked at the statue of Goodall.
“I wasn’t quite sure what it was at first, but I’m always in favor of women’s empowerment and anything that proves it’s a good thing,” she added. According to the city government, only five of New York’s 150 public statues are women. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is committed to building more.
The Schattners plan to place sculptures in other countries, including Australia and Britain, and are getting suggestions on their website.
