AUGUST 31: Meet at the Monument
1769 SPINNING PROTEST REENACTMENT
JOIN US & MAKE HERSTORY!
CELEBRATE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTh 2022
Show your support for the concept and location of the new monument:
Write a letter to the Select Board, sign the petition, or both! Become part of our history by lending your voice. And we would welcome your financial contribution as well!
2022 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY THEME: BREAKING BARRIERS
Memory from Women's Visibility Banner Celebration 2021
Monumental updates!
MARCH 2022
Calendar:​​​​​​
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3/1 Council for the Arts
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3/2 Special event for Founders noon & evening
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3/3 Monuments & Memorials Meeting - LexSeeHer Monument Proposal will be discussed
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3/8 International Women's Day Event! Join us! Register!
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3/29 Speaker Series: ​Cecilia Payne-Gaposhkin (Collaboration with Cary Memorial Library)
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3/31 Tourism Committee
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Research Team meets Monday evenings
Email: lexmonument@gmail.com to register
Register for 2022 International Women's Day and take part in an energizing and empowering session!
Special door prizes and surprises for participants!
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LexSeeHer has had some positive steps in the government process as we continue to seek approval for the new monument:
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12/28/21: Commission on Disability voted unanimously in support of proposed monument, plaza and site
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1/22: Monuments & Memorials Committee voted in support of budget threshold of 90%.
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2/3/22: Center Committee voted unanimously in support of proposed monument
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2/10/22: Historic Districts Commission voted in favor of Certificate of Appropriateness with request for follow-up on specific issue, including axial rotation
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2/14/22: LexSeeHer and HDC liaison held site visit to adjust axial rotation
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3/1/22: LexSeeHer provided presentation at Council for the Arts
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LexSeeHer held a Sculpture Rehearsal with Meredith Bergmann on 11.21.21. The event provided a glimpse of how the proposed monument will be situated. The design is a bronze bas-relief on a granite plaza. Early reactions from comment cards at the event:
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"Lovely design. Inspiring and uplifting."
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"Exciting display. Love the fact we are celebrating women of Lexington! A nice area to sit and rest and reflect."
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"Thank you for making history more complete - and so beautifully! Bravo to all."
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MEREDITH BERGMANN selected by LexSeeHer as designer for new monument
The town of Lexington is one step closer to gaining a monument honoring women’s contributions throughout history. LexSeeHer is pleased to announce our selection of renowned artist Meredith Bergmann for the project.
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“We were inspired by the talented artists who submitted proposals in response to our Call for Artists,” said LexSeeHer Co-Chair Jessie Steigerwald. “Meredith Bergmann distinguished herself by proposing an innovative, inclusive concept that beautifully conveys the many interconnected ways Lexington women have advanced liberty.” A preliminary sketch depicts the design in place in the center of historic Lexington, alongside Massachusetts Avenue and near the following landmarks: Buckman Tavern, the Lexington Battle Green, Cary Memorial Library, the Visitors Center and the Minuteman Bikeway.
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“Meredith’s commitment to social justice and historical redress through sensitively conceived public art is exactly what we are looking for,” commented LexSeeHer Co-Chair Betty Gau. “We are thrilled to work with her on this exciting project for Lexington and women everywhere.”
Why a monument? “As the ‘Birthplace of American Liberty’, Lexington offers a wealth of history about men’s courageous acts,” observed LexSeeHer Finance Team member Michelle Tran.
MarthaLeticia Valencia, co-chair of the Events Team, shared, "Meredith's preliminary sketch depicts many of the women who have contributed to the history of Lexington."
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From Meredith Bergmann:
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“I’m thrilled— it’s such an honor to have been selected to work with the remarkable women of LexSeeHer on this celebration of the history of the bold women of Lexington. I am grateful that LexSeeHer chose my design, and I look forward to working with the community.”
Photo credit: Michael Bergmann
From Celeste Freeman, LexSeeHer Advisory Board Member
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LexSeeHer advisor and public school educator Celeste Freeman summed up her reaction to Meredith Bergmann’s concept this way: “‘And when I meet Thomas Jefferson, I’ma compel him to include women in the sequel!’ This musical line from Lin Manuel’s Hamilton has been reverberating in my mind when I think of how gates and gatekeepers are often used to keep people out both physically from spaces as well as the pages of what we think of as of known history. One of the exciting aspects of this project is that this gate is actually an invitation—an opening to everyone to visually see a more expansive view of what we think of as settled history. When I think of the role of generations of unsung women like my grandmothers who serve as both guardians and gatekeepers of history, I can’t think of a more meaningful and symbolic way to capture how our founding mothers have shaped our nation. I see it as a portal to the past, present, and future.”
Amber Iqbal, member of the Nominations Subcommittee, commented, "I love this design and the diversity of the women chosen. Meredith portrays each of the historical women elegantly, showing both their struggles and triumphs." Learn more about the women on our website.
The work recognizes that “liberty” means different things to different people: Freedom from British tyranny, enslavement, and gender norms, for example. And freedom to live our authentic lives and pursue our passions.
The monument covers Lexington history from the years just preceding the Battle of Lexington to 2020. Visit www.MeredithBergmann.com for examples of Ms. Bergmann's work.
1769 Spinning Tableau: 45 Women bring history to light
LexSeeHer honors the 45 courageous women who defiantly protested unjust British taxation on the colony.
IT'S TIME TO see
women
in Lexington, MA
LexSeeHer is a dedicated group of volunteers in Lexington, MA, who seek to establish the first monument that will depict real women in the Birthplace of American Liberty. The monument will convey the important economic, social, and political impact women have had over more than three centuries. It will also raise questions about what “liberty” and “freedom” have meant to women from the 18th century to the present.
Lexington Historical Society has partnered with LexSeeHer as a fiscal sponsor to help support this important initiative. Donations to the LexSeeHer monument project are held by Lexington Historical Society and overseen by both entities. Lexington Historical Society is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
LexSeeHer QUILT
Founders Digital Quilt
Making more women visible!
LexSeeHer Teams​​​​
Get involved by emailing lexmonument@gmail.com
All teams welcome new volunteers: Communication Team meets Monday afternoon
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Communication Team
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Research Team
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Events Team
2021 WOMEN's Visibility banners with Troop 66265
Community members responded to our 2020 Open Nomination period and brought forward inspiring women were selected for our Digital Quilt Project and some were selected for street banners.
Please turn the carousel to see all of the banners and visit the Founders Digital Quilt.
Click on a banner to the far right and the wheel will spin.
LexSeeHer has formally launched our fundraising campaign. We are thankful to the 400+ people who joined as ​Monument Founders. Each gift will make women visible:
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2021 Self-Guided Women's History Trail - Explore "In Her Shoes"
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2021 Visibility Banners in Lexington Center in partnership with Girl Scout Troop 66265
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2023 Permanent monument in Lexington Center to honor women and women's contributions to Lexington & to America
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2023 "Firsts" plaque will memorialize women in Lexington who were the first to serve in a variety of roles as elected officials and leaders
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Ongoing LexSeeHer Speaker Series amplifies the significant accomplishments of women
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Details can be found on our Donors page, and contributions may be made online or by check. Our partnership with Lexington Historical Society launched on Patriots' Day 2021. Lexington Historical Society is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
Explore
"IN HEr sHOES"
Enjoy our expanding self-guided tour! Learn more about the women's history hidden in plain site as you discover the wonderful contributions women have made in Lexington. From educational pioneers who attended the Normal School, to abolitionists and suffragists, women's stories are waiting for you!
Updates
MARCH 2022
Known across the globe as the birthplace of American liberty, Lexington residents are coordinating to make visible the many women who have contributed throughout time.
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Next steps in the local government process:
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Monuments & Memorials received report from LexSeeHer on February 25, 2022. Chair Linda Dixon plans to invite M & M members to discuss report at March 3, 2022 meeting, and proposes to wait to hear from Tourism Committee. When M & M Committee forms a recommendation to Select Board, LexSeeHer will be able to present to Select Board and seek their approval.
Bringing a new monument to the birthplace of american liberty
LexSeeHer preferred monument site.
Tableau Vivant
45 courageous women took part in the
1769 Spinning Bee Tableau
August 31, 2021
See the 2021 Spinning Tableau
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Email: lexmonument@gmail.com
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