LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - An internationally-known sculpture artist whose work has exhibited at The Smithsonian Institute and The Bronx Museum in New York City has been picked to design Lexington’s first-ever statue honoring women.
The design of Barbara Grygutis of Tucson, Arizona, was picked from four finalists out of 127 proposals submitted to Lexington’s Breaking the Bronze Ceiling effort. Grygutis’ proposed design include silhouettes of five women suffragists who pushed for the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
“It was a monumental effort,” Grygutis said in an interview. “It deserves a monument.”
Grygutis was the unanimous choice of the selection committee, organizers said.
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilwoman Jennifer Mossotti has spearheaded the Breaking the Bronze Ceiling initiative to raise money and erect a statue honoring women in downtown Lexington.
During a news conference on Nov. 13 announcing the selection of Grygutis, Mossotti said the statue “will stand as a beacon and an icon to both educate and engage the community about the tremendous struggle women faced - specifically women from Central Kentucky - fighting to obtain the right to vote.”
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said the statue was long overdue.
“It reminds all of us how far we have come and how far we have to go,” Gorton said. She is the third woman to be elected mayor of Kentucky’s second-largest city. The news conference was held at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, named for Lexington’s first woman to be elected mayor. Teresa Isaac was the second.
The finished work will be unveiled at the Fifth Third Bank Plaza in downtown Lexington on Aug. 18, the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Grygutis has created more than 75 works of large-scale public art across the country.
Grygutis’ work has been exhibited at The Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.; The Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, New York; the Bronx Museum in New York City; and the Parker Collection shown in the home of the U.S. Vice President and the White House.
There is a growing movement to recognize noteworthy women and their historical contributions through public monuments, the group noted on its website. Less than 7% of the 5,193 monuments in the United States presently recognize women. In Lexington, there are none.
Grygutis said Lexington’s national call for submissions intrigued her.
“I am a woman,” Grygutis said. “I like voting.”
As an artist who has worked in public art for decades, she has noticed the absence of public art honoring women.
“There has been no serious monuments to celebrate women and women’s achievement,” Grygutis said. “I started to think about it and the only statue I’ve ever seen of a woman is Emily Dickinson in the poet’s walk in New York.”
Much of public art in the past 100 years has celebrated war, death or the achievements of men, she said. “This is a celebration of life.”
Grygutis said she chose five silhouettes of suffragists rather than a single person for her submission because the suffragist movement took hundreds of thousands of women who worked for decades to get it passed, she said.
The silhouettes of the women will be in fabricated from aluminum. Grygutis studied photos of suffragettes from Kentucky during that time period for inspiration.
“The hats were amazing,” Grygutis said.
Different types of hats give each of the five silhouettes a unique outline.
She also was fascinated by the lace worn during that time period. That lace is reproduced in the cut outs that dot some of the statutes. The cut outs allow light to move through the sculpture.
“It’s a three-dimensional design,” she said. “I use a lot of illumination so it’s active day and night.”
With the base, the women will stand more than 27 feet tall. The installation will face Vine Street. Grygutis said in photos the suffragists are often standing in a line. But for the installation to work and to be visible from Mill and Vine streets, the women may be staggered in a semi-circle.
“It’s not just one person,” Grygutis said. “We are celebrating a monumental achievement by a lot of people.”
Organizers said they are still short of the $500,000 needed to complete the project. The group has raised $350,000 today, said councilwoman Kathy Plomin, who is vice chair of the Breaking the Bronze Ceiling effort.
“Two anonymous donors have stepped up and have pledged to match dollar for dollar donations up to $50,000,” Plomin. “Now is the time to give.”
People can donate to the effort online at https://breakingthebronzeceiling.com.
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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com
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