“Stand” by Jane DeDecker
As Jane DeDecker embarked upon this journey 3 years ago to honor several of the founding members of the movement for womens rights, she has created these beautiful spirtied portriates of women who would not give up on the notion that All Citizens are equal and should be treated as such. “We need to be reminded that women’s participation in our democracy did not come easily and that rights for women need to be continually fought for and expanded upon. The work is not done, and we need this commemorative monument to keep the vision alive in the continued efforts towards equality. I intend create sculptures both large and small, dedicated to the power of collaboration and shared vision. They will be a site for contemplation, education, conversation and inspiration that is commensurate with the preeminent historical and lasting significance that the woman’s suffrage movement has had on the United States of America. It is time to fill in the missing stories of the women who helped build our country.” Jane DeDecker
*Alice Paul unfurling the ratificaiton flag
The composition of Stand includes Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This friendship holds the beginning of the women’s movement, the drop of water coalescing its impact on US history. Their words, speeches and wisdom launched a worldwide, peaceful revolution. Even today, these women and all the women who forged this Amendment offer us the courage and the tools to be the stewards of human rights.
To the side of the authors stands Sojourner Truth, a beacon for the movement. Sojourner Truth, an Africa n-American abolitionist and women’s right activist, was among the first voices of the women’s movement. She propelled the movement in its early days because she was willing to speak at time when few women did so, she projected her voice against injustices. Her gaze is to thefuture – to the horizon – looking to a place where women – together – will turn the world “right side up again.” In my composition, I have sculpted her in her early 50’s, around the time she would have delivered her seminal speech, “Ain’t I A Woman?” Within the composition, she is the guardian of the belief that women should have the right to vote.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Harriet Stanton Blanch
While the young Harriet Stanton Blanch represents the future generations of activists the First Nations figure represents the instramental influence that their culture and values had in laying the groundwork for the laws of our new nation. The women of these societies held complete autonomy and were revered in their communities. These women inspired the suffragists to demand that same level of respect and a voice within the laws of US Constitution.
From the foundation rises the next generation of the movement, the “daughters� who ratified the nineteenth amendment, represented by Ida B. Wells and Alice Paul. Standing on the shoulders of giants, these women were elevated by what came before. From this height, the ratification flag cascades to the innumerable circles that ripple outwards.
The portrait of Paul is inspired by the photo of her draping the ratification flag with its 38th star over the balcony of the suffrage headquarters in Washington D.C. I chose to depict Paul and this celebratory moment to capture the monumental triumph of the nineteenth amendment, an accumulation of the efforts of thousands of American women.
Ida B. Wells began her career as an activist at a young age. She fervently rallied against the practice of lynching even with the threat of being lynched herself. She was known for using her pen and voice to battle sexism, racism, and violence. In this sculpture Wells stands proudly with a flag of the United States, representing the hope for justice and the rights of every human being.
Mary Church Terrell’s fight for women’s suffrage was rooting in her staunch belief that she was part of the only group of citizens that had to overcome discrimination on 2 counts, sex and race. She was a civil rights advocate, lobbied for anti-lynching laws, worked to educate the young black community and created enthusiasm throughout our country for community activism. Her words “Lifting as We Climb” became the moto for the NACW which she founded in 1896.
Throughout her life, Helen Keller was a champion advocate for those with disabilities. After overcoming her own challenges of sight and speech, Keller showed the world that people with disabilities deserved the same rights as any other citizen. She would go on to co-found the Civil Liberties Union and became a prominent figure in the suffrage movement. Her advocacy lead to the creation of many educational platforms for the blind and deaf and laws to be changed to incorporate these important citizens into society.
“STAND” 70” X 40” X 40” $67,000 Featuring: Sojourner Truth, First Nations Representative, Elizabeth Caty Stanton, Harriet Stanton Blanch, Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller, Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell and Alice Paul.
“Every time I put my hands to clay to envision this movement, I am so moved by the work of the women who came before me. The ripples have come under my feet, and my gestures in clay are my contributions to the continued work that we as women need to do...” Jane DeDecker
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