Ruth Bader Ginsburg statue unveiled in Downtown Brooklyn

A statue of late United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was unveiled in Downtown Brooklyn on Friday. Created by artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, the six-foot bronze statue is located inside the Flatbush Avenue entrance of the mixed-use development City Point. Visitors can “Stand with Ruth” and take photos with the statue, but a timed reservation is required to maintain social distancing, according to City Point.

Rendering courtesy of City Point

In 2019, Gillie and Marc unveiled their “Statues of Equality” project in Midtown, which includes 10 bronze sculptures of inspirational women chosen by the public. When the series of statues were installed last year, the percentage of statues in New York City that were of women increased from 3 percent to 10 percent, according to the artists.

“We had the honor and privilege to create Justice Ginsburg’s dignified likeness in everlasting bronze as a part of Statues for Equality,” Gillie and Marc said. “With the two steps on its large base representing the Supreme Court and the climb she made to get there, the work is designed to provide the public with an opportunity to stand at her side, and gain inspiration from her journey fighting for equal rights.”

The statue will be open to the public starting Friday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Reservations are available for 20-minute time slots and can be booked here.

The installation of the statue comes during Women’s History Month and just a few days before Ginsburg’s posthumous 88th birthday on March 15. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will also declare March 15 “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Day” in Brooklyn.

Mayor Bill de Blasio last year officially renamed the Brooklyn Municipal Building after Ginsburg, an effort that had been pushed by Adams for the last two years.

And after Ginsburg’s death last September, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans to honor the New York City native with a statue in the borough, likely in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Cuomo appointed a 23-member commission to oversee the creation of the state’s Ginsburg memorial. No further details about the project have been announced yet.

The statue of Ginsburg is only the city’s seventh depicting a historical woman, as Gothamist reported. Last August, a memorial dedicated to women’s rights activists Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton opened in Central Park, becoming the park’s first monument of real-life women.

First lady Chirlane McCray’s She Built NYC campaign announced in 2019 plans to build statues of pioneers like Shirley Chisholm, Billie Holiday, Elizabeth Jennings Graham, Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías, and Katherine Walker.

RELATED: 

• New York will construct a statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her native Brooklyn
• Brooklyn Municipal Building will be renamed after Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• ‘Notorious RBG’ exhibit to open at New-York Historical Society next year

Editor’s note 3/12/21: The original version of this post was published on October 15, 2020, and has been updated with new information.