The artists will be launching the project in New York City and unveiling ten bronze statues of amazing women alive today which will take place on Women’s Equality Day: August 26th, 2019, in New York City.
Gillie and Marc’s Statues for Equality on RXR Realty’s iconic 1285 Avenue of the Americas will stand here making history by artistically changing biases, aspirations, and perceptions about women in leadership and in life.
By reserving 10 important spots for the exhibition, RXR Realty is showing admirable support for equal rights. Gender inequality is among the most critical issues facing the world today.
With so few statues in New York City depicting real women, the disparity in public art illustrates how serious this issue really is. In response to this, artists Gillie and Marc have teamed up with some of the world’s most powerful women to take a stand for equal rights through Statues for Equality.
After this launch the number of historical female sculptures in New York City will have risen from a mere 3 percent to over 9 percent!
In “Statues For Equality” each woman stands triumphantly in the middle of an oversized flower of her own choosing. Energy and vitality spring forth as the women unabashedly occupy space and commemorate their achievements. Each flower is a distinctive and personal expression of who the woman is beyond her technical and social accomplishments.
STATUES BEING ERECTED IN NYC THANKS TO STATUES FOR EQUALITY
Eleanor Roosevelt
One of the five statues of historic women in New York City is of Eleanor Roosevelt, by Penelope Jencks. Eleanor Roosevelt was the respected First Lady of the United States from 1933-1945.
Harriet Tubman
Did you know that currently only 5 of NYC’s 150 statues are of historic women? Of those 5 only 1 is a woman of colour! Harriet Tubman escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist and amongst many brave acts, led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
Joan of Arc
One of only five statues of historical women in NYC, the Joan Of Arc memorial statue is one of the most impressive in the city! The statue celebrates Joan of Arc, 15th century patriot and martyr who successfully commanded French forces against the English, before being captured and burned at the stake!
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein was an Jewish American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. She was born in Pittsburgh, but moved to Vienna and then Paris during her childhood. During her adult life she befriended and held meetings with many leading figures of modernism in literature and art, including Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway.
Golda Meir
Golda Meir is best known as being the first (and currently only!) female Prime Minister of Israel. Golda was born in Kiev, but moved to the United States as a child. During her school years she organised a fundraiser to pay for her classmates textbooks and formed the American Young Sisters Society.
