The Making of a Medal

The Making

of a Medal

by JULIE SOLZ Team Leader for Collection Services

In March, we began a new tradition with the presentation of The Historic New England Medal at the organization’s annual benefit gala. The purpose of this honor is to recognize recipients for a lifetime of preservation and philanthropy. Here is the story of the work that went into developing its unique design and executing the final product.

Our charge was to create a medal that embodies all that is Historic New England, the region, and its audiences, one that reifies our 2021-2025 strategic agenda statement: The New England experience is powerful, personal, and diverse and it provides a compelling and enduring framework for sustainability and resilience as we consider and navigate the dynamic changes and possibilities affecting the region in the years ahead.

As medal committee member David Feigenbaum said, “We had a tall order to fill. We wanted the medal to depict the full spectrum of resources that Historic New England presents—our historic buildings, landscapes, documents, and objects. Portraying the people with whom the organization connects was important, too. The sculpted medal would need to present these concepts simply and beautifully. Yet we only had two sides of a four-inch piece of metal to work with.”

So where to start? In the collections. Historic New England has significant collections of decorative arts that include all types of medals. Small and large medals; medals of bronze and silver; medals that are plated, engraved, or enameled; medals in presentation boxes, on ribbons or bars; medals celebrating individuals, organizations, and craft. There were so many examples to review and consider what makes a truly wonderful object and a lasting form of recognition. We wanted something beautiful and tactile. Something so engaging that it calls to you to pick it up and hold it in your hand.

Our medal committee was led by trustees Deborah Allison, David Feigenbaum, and Kristin Servison and included President and CEO Vin Cipolla, Vice President for Advancement Jennifer Kent, and me. However, we needed a creative team to help transform our vision into something tangible. We sought recommendations from trustees, staff, and colleagues and we reached out to designers, artists, and foundries. We had a tight deadline: nine months to go from visioning to having a medal in hand—a task that would have been extremely difficult even if we had not been in a pandemic. Nevertheless, we persevered

The front of the Historic New England Medal (top), also called the obverse, and the back or reverse.

and though we did not have the final cast bronze medal in hand for the inaugural presentation during the Historic New England gala in March, we did have a 3D replica.

We received several proposals for the project and found a creative team in Jeffrey and Lindley Briggs of Briggs Design of Newburyport, Massachusetts. They have worked together for more than forty years to create unique commissioned sculptures. We reviewed at least ten concepts before we settled on the directions for each side of the medal and worked through many revisions until our final designs were realized.

Once the designs were approved, Jeffrey began production of eighteen-inch maquettes, which enabled us to see the design in a three-dimensional form. These sculptures were an important part of the refinement process. As Kristin Servison commented on one review, “Our visit with sculptors Jeff and Lindley Briggs in their Newburyport studio to approve the maquettes of the Historic New England medal opened my eyes to the complexity of the job of the creator. Among the design elements we discussed was the challenge of adjusting the medal lettering against the edge of the circle. On the reverse side, conveying a sense of movement forward by adjusting the proportions of the figures relative to each other and the background, and highlighting foreground details, expressions of New England heritage and community were key focal points. They knew how to ensure that the four-inch medal created from the two maquettes would satisfy these desires.”

Once the eighteen-inch clay models were complete, plaster models were cast and those were

The stairway in the front hall at Historic New England’s Castle Tucker in Wiscasset, Maine, was used for the image on the front of the medal. The landscape at Casey Farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, was used to illustrate the medal’s reverse.

Sculptor Jeffrey Briggs of Briggs Design of Newburyport, Massachusetts, carving an oversize image of the medal in clay. This phase of the process allowed the medal committee to see the design in threedimensional form.

scanned by Northeast 3D Solutions in Springfield, Vermont. Then, Northeast printed 3D four-inch models of the two-sided medal, which Lindley painted to mimic the final bronze patina. Bronze casts of the medals were completed by Sincere Metal Works in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and elegant ebonized cherry boxes were made for each medal by collection committee member Richard Oedel of Fort Point Cabinetmakers in South Boston.

The face of the medal depicts a stylized spiral staircase inspired by the stairway in the front hall at Historic New England’s Castle Tucker in Wiscasset, Maine. We were particularly pleased with the use of a spiral, it being a symbol of strength, movement, and growth.

It is an ancient form that is found not only in nature but is also connected to art and architecture of all cultures. The back of the medal celebrates our landscapes, properties, and communities. It was inspired by the buildings, stone walls, and community at

Casey Farm in Saunderstown,

Rhode Island. It was important that one side of the medal show that our sites are powerful places of engagement, that they are preserved and shared with all communities. The medal creation process was a fascinating project. The collaboration of the medal committee and the creative team was particularly successful as everyone brought different sensibilities and perspectives, which was important for translating our vision into reality. “The medal signifies Historic

New England’s highest honor, recognizing the few who’ve demonstrated a deep and sustained commitment to preservation, and contributing truly extraordinary philanthropic and civic leadership in the field,”

Cipolla said. “Our inaugural medal recipients, Lillie Johnson and Biddy Owens, exemplify this level of dedication. Their devotion to preservation and to the mission and work of Historic New England is unparalleled. It has been an incredible honor to honor them.”