On Thurs., Dec. 3, at Riverside Park and W. 93rd St., the centennial of the park’s Joan of Arc statue was celebrated. Made by sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, it’s reportedly the first statue in New York City honoring a real-life woman. Among those in attendance were Bertrand Lortholary, consul general of France; students from nearby M.S. 256, the Joan of Arc complex; Jonathan Kuhn, director of art & antiquities for the city’s Parks Department; and performance artist Lulu Lolo, who can be seen around town in her Joan of Arc armor as she advocates for more statues honoring women. The photo showing Lolo and other women, below, was taken on 14th St. this past summer, when she was asking others to nominate potential female subjects for city statues. Joan of Arc (1411-1431) fought for France against the English, but was captured and burned at the stake as a witch. In 1920, she was sainted.
