Ohio's new women's monument takes shape
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Artist Brenda Councill works on one of nine sculptures for Ohio's new women's monument debuting later this year. Photos: Alissa Widman Neese/Axios
Decades before women won the right to vote, Ohio was a hub for progressive conventions where they pressed for equal rights.
Why it matters: That history of activism isn't reflected on Capitol Square, where monuments and portraits mostly honor men. But soon, that will change.
The latest: Officials will break ground at 10am Wednesday on the Statehouse's newest public monument — its first honoring women's achievements and first addition in 12 years.
Catch up quick: The display will put Ohio at the forefront of another modern push for equality. Nationwide, just a sliver of public statues depict real women from history.
- It's the result of years of planning and nearly $2 million in Capitol Square Foundation fundraising tied to the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in 2020.
- The monument will feature nine bronze sculptures on the Statehouse's south side, across from the Ohio Theatre.
- The goal is to unveil it later this year and connect it to educational programming.
Behind the scenes: Ahead of the groundbreaking, Axios visited the Zanesville art studio where artist Brenda Councill has spent the past year bringing her vision to life.
- Seven statues will go atop three granite pillars engraved with quotes and names that, until now, had largely been lost to history.
- The monument represents eras of progress rather than specific individuals, allowing visitors to "identify with it on a personal basis," Councill tells Axios.
The intrigue: The artwork challenges the idea of "putting women on pedestals," Councill says. That's why a fourth pillar is intentionally empty.
- That woman has stepped off her pedestal, energized by a re-creation of a poster advertising Ohio's first women's rights convention in 1850.
- The empty space also represents gender equality progress still happening today.
Last week, surrounded by her clay creations, Councill refined facial details on a symbolic ninth and final statue: a young girl gazing upward and reaching out to a suffragist.
- Ohio Arts Council executive director Donna Collins, whose agency helped guide the artist selection, tells Axios she thinks of her granddaughter when she sees the child.
The bottom line: "She's passing the torch so the movement can continue," Councill says, smiling.
