The city wants you to nominate historic NYC women who deserve a public monument
Statue of Eleanor Roosevelt on Riverside Drive is just one of a handful of monuments to women in NYC; via Wikimedia
City officials announced on Wednesday an initiative aimed at bringing more commemorations of historic New York City women to public spaces. First lady Chirlane McCray and Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen are seeking ideas of women or events in women’s history that should be honored with monuments. The Department of Cultural Affairs has committed up to $10 million for the program, called She Built NYC!. “This is a first step to creating a public art collection that more accurately represents the diversity of New York City’s history,” McCray told NY1.
Nominations can be submitted here and should follow stated criteria: the person, group or event must have a significant connection to NYC, the event must have happened at least 20 years ago and the person must no longer be living. Groups or categories of women will be taken into consideration, such as single mothers, immigrant women, etc.
She Built NYC! comes after Mayor Bill de Blasio convened a Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments and Makers last year to review symbols of hate and “develop guidelines on how the City should address monuments seen as oppressive and inconsistent with the values of New York City.”
There is a lack of representation of women among statues in New York City; 90 percent of the city’s monuments are men. Last November, on the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in the state, the parks department announced plans to bring the first-ever monument to women in Central Park. After an artist is selected, a monument to suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony will be placed in the park’s mall.
Nominations will be accepted at women.nyc until August 1. After reviewing the nominations, an advisory panel will consult with the cultural affairs department on the new monument and choose an artist to create it. The city expects to commission at least one monument by January.
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