11/11/2020
We are so grateful to everyone who has thoughtfully engaged with 'A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft' over the past couple of days: it's fantastic to see so many people talking about this incredible woman who, for far too long, was written out of history.
There's no question that Maggi Hambling is a challenging artist, and this is not your average memorial. It doesn't depict Mary Wollstonecraft herself, but represents the birth of a movement: this figure is, to use Wollstonecraft's own words, "the first of a new genus". The work celebrates her contribution to society with something that goes beyond the Victorian traditions of putting people on pedestals. It seeks to spark conversation and to stimulate debate, both online and on Newington Green: to encourage people to think about what public art is and can be.
Maggi Hambling's design was selected in May 2018 through a competitive, consultative process. The design has been in the public domain since then. We understand that not everyone agrees with the end result. The diversity of views, openly expressed, is just what Mary Wollstonecraft would have loved. Our position has always been that the artwork should capture the spirit of Mary Wollstonecraft: she was a pioneer who defied convention, and she deserves a memorial that’s as radical as she was. We’d encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it yet to watch the unveiling (see below) and learn a little more about the thinking behind the design - and to go and see it for yourself, when it’s safe to do so.
200 years after her death, Mary Wollstonecraft continues to break boundaries and stimulate debate. There are people who will go to bed tonight knowing more about Mary Wollstonecraft than they did this morning: and that’s something to be proud of.
We look forward to more campaign groups raising the funds to celebrate and memorialise the impact and achievements of other women, too. We hope the conversations of the past couple of days have galvanised more people to support these efforts.
https://fb.watch/1HOvCPZJUw/
