"I designed the monument to represent the sweep of history, and by portraying many diverse women to show the range of women's achievements. 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. 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. "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 1887, and then was carried on banners to Washington by marchers in 1913, trying to wake the nation. 

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The 92-year-old suffragist from 1913 connects on the other side to a young, contemporary protestor for women's rights, whose sign reads simply, "Persist." 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. The women move among plants and flowers, including a branch of of apple tree (an important crop locally), and the apple is a time-honored symbol of women's independence (one apple has a worm). 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. Some of the stories in this monument are tragic, but I wanted to create a joyful, energizing celebration in sculpture. "Something must be done!" becomes "Something Is Being Done!" right now, right here, and wherever women are trying to improve our world. 

- Meredith