Virginia Women's Monument
Virginia Women's Monument, officially titled Voices from the Garden: The Virginia Women's Monument, is a state monument in Richmond, Virginia, on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol. It honors the contributions of women from Virginia to the history of the Commonwealth and the United States. The monument consists of life-sized bronze statues of eleven women arranged in a small granite plaza, along with a Wall of Honor. First proposed in 2009 and approved by the Virginia General Assembly in 2010, it was developed with help from a 18-member commission, the Library of Virginia, and women’s history professors. The plaza and Wall of Honor opened in October 2018, and the first seven statues were unveiled in October 2019. Additional statues were added in May 2022.
February 2020 © Kss5pj · CC BY-SA 4.0
October 2021 © WomenArtistUpdates · CC BY-SA 4.0
June 2022 © WomenArtistUpdates · CC BY-SA 4.0
© WomenArtistUpdates · CC BY-SA 4.0
© WomenArtistUpdates · CC BY-SA 4.0
Identification | |
| Title | Virginia Women's Monument |
| Type | Monument |
| Official title | Voices from the Garden: The Virginia Women's Monument |
| Spanish title translation | Voces del Jardín: El Monumento a las Mujeres de Virginia |
Historical context | |
| Purpose | To honor the contributions of Virginia women to the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States of America |
| Subject | Women of Virginia and their contributions throughout history |
| Idea proposed | 2009 |
| Legislative authorization | Joint resolution of the Virginia General Assembly in 2010 |
| Legislative proposal | Senate Joint Resolution No. 11 |
| Legislative outcome | Passed unanimously by both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia |
| Historical statement from resolution | Since the founding of the Commonwealth, women's genius, creativity, presence, and contributions have been evident in every aspect of Virginia's history and the lives of its people |
| Recognition statement from resolution | Women have received little appreciation, recognition, or official acknowledgment |
| Intended theme | The diverse achievements of women over the first 400 years of Virginia's history |
| Funding | Built with private funds |
| Legislative advocate | Walter Stosch, state senator |
Creator | |
| Sculptor | StudioEIS |
| Sculptor location | Brooklyn, New York |
| Initiator description | Richmond native, writer, and former actress |
| Initiator note | Was considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind |
| Initiator | Em Bowles Locker Alsop |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Commission | Virginia Women's Monument Commission |
| Commission membership | 19 members: the Governor, the Chair of the Senate Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, representatives from the Senate and House, the Clerk of the House, and eight members of the general public |
| Selection process | An 18-member commission, with input from the Library of Virginia and women's history professors, selected the women to be honored |
| Selection basis | Chosen from every region of the state |
| Planned total number of statues | 12 |
| Original plan included | Sally Louisa Tompkins |
| Sally Louisa Tompkins description | Richmond hospital administrator and Confederate army captain |
| Sally Louisa Tompkins status | Included in the original plan but not in the final design |
Physical characteristics | |
| Number of women depicted | 11 |
| Statue scale | Life-size |
| Composition | Life-size bronze statues of eleven Virginia women in a small granite plaza |
Materials | |
| Honor wall material | Tempered glass |
| Plaza material | Granite |
| Statue material | Bronze |
Appearance | |
| Sundial inscription | Engraved with the names of several Virginia localities |
| Seating | Two benches line the sides of the oval plaza |
| Honor wall | A series of tempered-glass panels called the Wall of Honor |
| Honor wall inscription | The names of more than 200 additional women important in Virginia history |
| Theme of statues | Representing the diverse achievements of women throughout the first 400 years of Virginia's history |
| Central feature | A granite pedestal topped by a bronze sundial |
Location and ownership | |
| Location | Grounds of the Virginia State Capitol, Richmond, Virginia, United States |
| Site | Capitol Square |
| Location context | A commemorative monument on the grounds of Capitol Square |
History and restoration | |
| Additional statues installed | May 2022 |
| Number of figures in 2022 | 11 |
| Additional honorees | Sarah Garland Boyd Jones; Maggie L. Walker; Clementina Rind; Martha Washington |
| First seven honorees | Cockacoeske; Anne Burras Laydon; Mary Draper Ingles; Elizabeth Keckley; Laura Copenhaver; Virginia Randolph; Adele Goodman Clark |
| Official unveiling date | 14 October 2019 |
| Plaza and Wall of Honor opened | October 2018 |
| Initial opening | The monument officially opened with the first seven completed statues |
Significance | |
| Commemorative focus | The contributions of Virginia women |
Other | |
| Sarah Garland Boyd Jones description | Physician |
| Em Bowles Locker Alsop death | 2015, at age 98 |
| Martha Washington description | First inaugural First Lady of the United States |
| Clementina Rind description | First female printer and newspaper editor in Virginia |
| Maggie L. Walker description | Businesswoman and teacher |
| Laura Copenhaver description | Entrepreneur |
| Adele Goodman Clark description | Suffragist and activist |
| Virginia Randolph description | Prominent educator |
| Elizabeth Keckley description | Seamstress and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln |
| Mary Draper Ingles description | Frontierswoman and American pioneer |
| Anne Burras Laydon description | Jamestown colonist |
| Cockacoeske description | Pamunkey tribal chief |
| Monument opening note | Em Bowles Locker Alsop died three years before the monument first opened to the public |