The Monumental Project
Welcome to The Monumental Project: How Historic Sites and Monuments of Yesterday Affect Us Today. As the official companion podcast of the Monuments Toolkit program, we will be diving deep into the pieces of American history found across the nation, and how the stories they carry impact the modern day American citizen. The goal of this podcast and the program at large, is to address the question “how do we address monuments of oppression?” What are our options for dealing with painful pieces of our past? How can we learn, heal, and move forward? By the end of this season we’ll have a better understanding.
The Monumental Project
Women in Public Art
Women have been creating public art for centuries, but their contributions have often been overlooked or undervalued. For example, during the Renaissance period, female artists were often relegated to the role of assistants or copyists, and their work was rarely recognized as being equal in quality to that of their male peers.
Despite these challenges, women have made significant contributions to the field of public art over the years. Some of the most famous public artworks in the world were created by women including the Vietnam War Memorial (Maya Lin).
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of promoting gender equity in public art. Many cities and organizations are now launching initiatives to commission more female artists' work and ensure that public art reflects a more diverse range of perspectives.
From large-scale installations to intimate street art pieces, women are using their creativity and vision to shape public spaces and challenge societal norms.
To talk about this we spoke to Cece Carpio and Meredith Bergmann, 2 amazing women making their impact in art, history, and telling important stories in a public forum.
Enjoy!