First Lady Chirlane McCray (D)and former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen (D) announced yesterday that the City would be building four new monuments modeled after female leaders, as part of the “She Built” initiative.
The monuments – modeled after Billie Holiday, Elizabeth Jennings Graham, Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías, and Katherine Walker – are part of an ongoing effort by the administration to correct the city’s dearth of statues that commemorate women and make the city’s public art scene more inclusive overall.
The influential jazz singer Billie Holiday will have her monument constructed near Queens Borough Hall; the civil rights activist Elizabeth Jennings Graham will be given a monument next to Grand Central Terminal; the pioneering pediatrician Helen Rodríguez Trías will have her likeness built in St. Mary’s Park, near Lincoln Hospital; and Katherine Walker, keeper of the Robbins Reef Lighthouse, will have her statue placed at the Staten Island Ferry landing.
The statues will be funded via the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Art process, which mandates that at least one percent of the City’s budget for public construction projects is reserved for public artwork.
“We cannot tell the story of New York City without recognizing the invaluable contributions of the women who helped build and shape it,” said McCray. “Public monuments should tell the full history and inspire us to realize our potential – not question our worth. In honoring these four trailblazers today, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to see powerful women who made history receive the recognition they deserve.”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Upper East Side, Lenox Hill) applauded the initiative, stressing the importance of recognizing how women have contributed to the City’s artistic, cultural and political landscape.
“I’m thrilled to hear that four more remarkable women are being honored with monuments through the She Built NYC initiative, so that all five boroughs will have statues of women,” said Maloney. “It is critical that we continue to honor great women who were trail blazers, change makers, and contributed so much to our great city. I hope these monuments will remind young women of their limitless potential and will inspire all New Yorkers for many years to come.”
Artists will be selected to construct each monument near the end of 2019, and construction will take place from 2021 to 2022.
