My first and only visit to the monument so far was for sculptor Meredith Bergmann's enlightening artist's talk on Dedication Day, May 18, 2024. I plan to return often, eager to explore more features of this fascinating monument titled 'Something Is Being Done!' Meanwhile here are quotes, resources, and photos to guide your own visit, online or in person.
Celebrating "Something Is Being Done" Monument, May 18, 2024
"As America prepares to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, Lexington tells a more inclusive story about women in every era. Women who had been forgotten, invisible, and erased, will now be seen and celebrated. " (quote from Making Women Visible, LexSeeHer)
"We invite you to visit and take your place among more than 20 bold women and girls who are commemorated in Meredith Bergmann's design." (quote from Special Events, LexSeeHer)
"It took thousands of hours to create SomethingIs Being Done. Meredith Bergmann began by drawing increasingly detailed conceptual sketches. She then sculpted a full-scale clay model in her studio. The model was moved to a foundry to begin the casting process. "( quote from booklet, Something Must Be Done! The Lexington Women's Monument by Jessie Steigerwald)
"The two-sided bronze sculpture will rest on a 28 foot circular granite plaza that Meredith Bergman has designed to resemble a spinning wheel." (quote from brochure, It's Time to See Women, LexSeeHer)
"The composition features multiple scenes, and figures stepping toward the center gateway along the outlines of powder horns, to convey the energy and explosiveness of women's desire for recognition and for rights." (quote from Meredith Bergmann Artist's Statement about the monument**) **All Artist's Statement quotes are copied from the printed booklet, Something Must Be Done! The Lexington Women's Monument by Jessie Steigerwald.
Left half, South-facing side
Right half, North-facing side
" The stories are told in bas-relief, which is essentially two-dimensional, but historical connections can be found in three dimensions through the sculpture to its far side*" (quote from Artist's Statement about the monument**)
Photos are paired above, below, and then in stacked order to show both sides of the same silhouette. This arrangement helps to show that the two sides ( north-facing, south-facing) of matching silhouetted forms are distinctly different individuals (named or identified in artist's sketches for both north-facing and south-facing sides of the monument) .
Left half, North-facing side
Right half, South facing side
"Something Must be done!" the cry of a mother trying to wake her teenage son on April 19, 1775 became the slogan of suffragists trying to wake Boston in 1876, and then was carried on banners to Washington by marchers in 1913, trying to wake the nation. The 93-year-old suffragist from 1913 connects on the other side to a young, contemporary protester for women's rights, whose sign reads simply, "Persist." " (quote from Artist's Statement about the monument**)
Left half, South-facing side
Right half, North-facing side
"The women move among plants and flowers, including the branch of an apple tree (an important crop locally), and the apple is a time-honored symbol of women's independence (one apple has a worm)." (quote from Artist's Statement about the monument**)
Right half, South-facing side
"The women are surrounded by animals, from a ladybug, the state insect of Massachusetts, and known to kids as a protective mother from the nursery rhyme, to an owl, symbol of Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, strategy and also war." (quote from Artist's Statement about the monument**)
Left-half, North facing side
"I love detailed artworks with multiple layers that reveal themselves over time, so I've blended ancient feminine symbols with contemporary ones like the snail, for the slow progress of women's equal rights." (quote from Artist's Statement about the monument**)
"To visit, look for directions for Cary Memorial Library or 1875 Massachusetts Avenue. The monument is at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Meriam Street, on the lawn that is part of the Visitors Center and Buckman Tavern property." ( quote from The "Something Is Being Done" Monument, LexSeeHer)
** Meredith Bergmann Artist's Statement, page 9 in Something Must Be Done! The Lexington Women's Monument by Jessie Steigerwald
KEY RESOURCES:
Meredith Bergmann artist website https://meredithbergmann.com/
LexSeeHer Make Women Visible https://www.lexseeher.com/
Acton sculptor honors women through Lexington monument May 16, 2024, by Alissa Nicol, Acton Exchange https://www.actonexchange.org/acton-sculptor-honors-women-through-lexington-monument/
Something Must Be Done! The Lexington Women's Monument by Jessie Steigerwald, booklet, 2024, 1775 Books, Lexington, MA
IN HER SHOES; Explore Lexington's HerStory Trail, brochure (Match Each Woman in the Monument to a Location on the Map)
Set up for Artist's Talk, Dedication Day, May 18 , 2024
""Something must be done" becomes "Something Is Being Done" right now, right here, and wherever women are trying to improve our world." (quote from Artist's Statement about the monument**)
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