Work continues on the Women’s Monument in Richmond.
Renderings courtesy of the Women’s Monument Commission
Construction for a new monument on Virginia’s State Capitol grounds will honor historically famous women from various races, backgrounds and achievements—including Ann Burras Laydon, who survived Jamestown’s “starving time,” Dinwiddie’s Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, who worked for Mary Todd Lincoln and established the Contraband Relief Association, Cockacoeske, who established the Pamunkey tribe, and First Lady Martha Washington. Materials are being delivered to the site this month while work progresses and completion of the $1 million project is slated for October 2019.
Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley
Voices From the Garden, which broke ground in December, will be the first women’s monument of its kind in the nation. A private fundraiser held at Capitol Square following the groundbreaking raised $20,000 to go toward casting the bronze statues, while the Women’s Monument Commission received an additional $500,000 from the Cabell Foundation challenge grant.
Twelve women, selected for their contributions and lasting impact and representing over 400 years of Virginia history will be cast in bronze positioned around an oval-shaped garden on the western side of Capitol Square, alongside a glass panel etched with the names of significant Virginia women. According to a commission representative, “The whole monument is meant to be interactive for the visitor. By walking among the statues, each a work of art, or by using the mobile app, people will be able to learn more about these women’s achievements and hear their stories, in many cases through their own words.” For more information, visit WomensMonumentCom.virginia.gov
