Central Park Women's Suffrage Monument Redesigned to Include Sojourner Truth

For nearly a year, the proposed Central Park statue honoring women’s suffrage in America has been plagued in controversy. It’s difficult to believe that in 2019, planners of the monument could be so tone-deaf to the race-related arguments swirling around America’s women’s rights history.

The Women’s March 2017, organized by a group of women who refused to honor legendary women’s rights Hillary Clinton, after her defeat by Donald Trump, signaled a new day for setting the record straight — the truth and also new lies and distortions — about the history of American feminism.

The original design by sculptor Meredith Bergmann visually elevated two prominent white women — Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton — over a scrolling list of 22 other women, seven of them women of color. AOC disagrees with the complaint that Anthony and Stanton were metaphorically “standing’ on the other women.” But they certainly look like boss ladies at a time when younger people are rejecting hierarchy and white superiority, along with a nonexistent recognition of the contributions of people of color — and slaves specifically — in building America.

For context, there is NO statue of any nonfictional female of any skin color in Central Park and around New York, writes the New York Times. The park currently features no historical women but statues of fictional girls like Alice from Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Juliet from William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet.’

While a new visual of the proposed statue to be erected on Central Park’s Literary Walk by 2020 is not available, it’s a miracle that the proposed design was aborted at all. Women including Gloria Steinem helped turn back the design against the nearly insurmountable rules and regulations that defined its artistic creation initially and the legitimate controversy that ensued.

“Our goal has always been to honor the diverse women in history who fought for equality and justice and who dedicated their lives to fight for Women’s Rights,” Pam Elam said in a statement. The president of the Monumental Women’s Statue Fund, the group financing the sculpture, added: “It is fitting that Anthony, Stanton, and Truth stand together in this statue as they often did in life.” via Hyperallergic.

Related: Central Park Women's Suffrage Monument by Sculptor Meredith Bergmann Unveiled AOC She

A Jewelry Design Journey From Fashionable Omo Valley Arbore Women To Mario Gerth To INIVA Miami

A Jewelry Design Journey From Fashionable Omo Valley Arbore Women To Mario Gerth To INIVA Miami

Serendipity seems to be always at play at Anne of Carversville and in my GlamTribal Jewelry. Close friends think the powers are actually stronger than serendipity in my case, but let me stick with the facts here. The DNA of my GlamTribal collection lies in East Africa, in an area extending from southern Ethiopia’s Omo Valley into the Lake Turkana region, South Sudan and northern Kenya, with a final destination in Nairobi and specifically Kibera. This is not to say that there aren’t more pieces in my puzzle, but my life has wound in and around these pillars for decades.

Hans Silvester’s monumental book ‘Natural Fashion’ (2009) introduced me to the Omo Valley people in 2012, inspiring the first major turn in my vision for GlamTribal. These precious people are living in grave danger of extinction in a modern world, In particular the Gilgel Give III damn threatens their very existence. For five years Italian photographer Fausto Podavini has charted the progress of the damn and its impact on one of Africa’s most remote frontiers. National Geographic updates the story of perhaps epic change in the Omo Valley.

Riccardo Raspa Glorifies 60's Feminists In 'Uniform'Less' For Odiseo by Folch #12

Riccardo Raspa Glorifies 60's Feminists In 'Uniform'Less' For Odiseo by Folch #12

Photographer Riccardo Raspa wrote about 'Uni-Form'Less' for the 12 Issue of Odiseo by Folch:  "With this project we wanted to glorify and remember all the effort made from the past and (a) new generation of magic woman around the world for a more equal society."

Raspa collaborated with Michela Caprera on styling and creative direction with casting by Isadora Banaudi.  With white nationalism rising all over the world, the fight for women's rights must again move into high gear.

Goddess Hathor's Fifth Dynasty Priestess Hetpet's Tomb Unveiled A Century After Discovery In Egypt

Goddess Hathor's Fifth Dynasty Priestess Hetpet's Tomb Unveiled A Century After Discovery In Egypt

Archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered a 4,400-year-old tomb close to Cairo, one that contains rare wall paintings and is thought to be the tomb of a priestess named Hetpet. Mostafa Waziri, the secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced the discovery located near the Giza pyramids. 

“The tomb is in very good condition,” Dr. Waziri said. “There are colored depictions of traditional scenes: animals grazing, fishing, bird-catching, offerings, sacrifice, soldiers and fruit-gathering.”

Hetpet is believed to have been close to Egyptian royals of the Fifth Dynasty, part of a prosperous period in Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom during which the pyramids, temples and palaces were built under the rule of pharaohs. Hetpet served as a priestess for Hathor, a goddess depicted as a cow and associated with fertility, motherhood and love. By this time in women's history, female priests were not that common in ancient Egypt, but Hathor's priesthood was an exception. 

Hetpet's name was first seen on antiquities uncovered at the site in 1909 by a British explorer who sent them to Berlin and Frankfurt.  The tomb itself was not unearthed until more than a century later in 2017

Eye: Katja Mayer Captures The Patriarchal Contradiction in 'Melancholia' For Numéro December 2017

Katja Mayer Captures The Patriarchal Contradiction in 'Melancholia' For Numéro December 2017

Model Marland Backus feels the 'Melancholia' in images styled by Samuel Francois. Photographer and artist Katja Mayer captures the provocation for Numéro's December 2017 issue.

The obelisks of ancient Egypt represented the benben, the primordial mound upon which the god Atum stood at the creation of the world. As such, they were associated with the benu bird, the Egyptian precursor to the Greek phoenix. According to some Egyptian myths the benu bird was the first living creature whose cry awoke creation and set life in motion. The bird was linked to the morning star and the renewal of each day but was also the sign of the end of the world; in the same way the bird had cried to begin the creative cycle, she would sound again to signal its completion. via

Seaton Schroeder, an engineer who helped bring Cleopatra's need to Central Park recounts:  “From the carvings on its face we read of an age anterior to most events recorded in ancient history; Troy had not fallen, Homer was not born, Solomon’s temple was not built; and Rome arose, conquered the world, and passed into history during the time that this austere chronicle of silent ages has braved the elements.”

It's noteworthy that in the march of human civilization from the Egyptians to the Romans -- which coincides with the rise of monotheism and patriarchal values, the Romans built twice as many obelisks as the Egyptians. During this time, condensed into a period of several hundred years in Greece, three famous philosophers chronicled the decline of women from Socrates, who had no issue and embraced the idea of a woman head of state; to Plato, who said 'perhaps but preferably not' (metaphorically speaking) to AAristotle, who saw women as very inferior to men. Aristotle actually believed that all the DNA, all the human qualities of life were transmitted through semen and the man. The woman was only the 'oven' , the incubator of babies that men actually created.  Read on.

CFDA Honors Gloria Steinem As Trump Moves To Curtail Women's Right To Birth Control, Bowing To Religious Forces

CFDA Honors Gloria Steinem As Trump Moves To Curtail Women's Right To Birth Control, Bowing To Religious Forces

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem arrived on the national stage with her 1962 essay 'The Moral Disarmament of Betty Coed'. In 1963, Steinem famously used her good looks and socially-perceived 'hot bod' to work undercover at the Playboy Club, penning her experiences in an essay called 'A Bunny's Tale'. Feeling the backlash, in 2969 Steinem explained why men shouldn't fear feminists in 'After Black Power, Women's Liberation'. 

In 2017, many American women wonder why we can't cement our equality in 21st century America, where anti-feminist forces are perhaps more formidable than ever. Surrounded by pundits who argued that Hillary Clinton should drop the allegation that misogyny played any role in the 2016 election, former RNC chairman Michael Steele agreed that misogyny DID play a role, describing America as a very provincial nation with traditional views about women's roles. 

In the aftermath of Clinton's loss, the fashion industry is galvanized around women's issues, having taken a Clinton win for granted. On June 5, Steinem will receive the CFDA Board of Directors' Tribute for her endless legacy of work within the women's movement, in an honor presented by her close friend Diane von Furstenberg, a board member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. 

2017 Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon Doubles Entries Of Women Artists

2017 Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon Doubles Entries Of Women Artists

The fourth annual 2017 Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon happened in over 200 events held around the world in March 2017. Over 2,500 global participants edited the inclusion of over 6,500 women artists with new or expanded Wiki entries. Created after a 2011 survey confirmed that less than 10 percent of Wikipedia contributors were women, the 2017 events nearly doubled the impact of the 2016 campaign. 

A Spartan Kris Gottschalk Is Lensed By Nagi Sakai For Models.com

A Spartan Kris Gottschalk Is Lensed By Nagi Sakai For Models.com

Previously on Anne of Carversville: Women and 'Ancient Greece' 

Clinton, Sanders, Obama: The Democrats Try To Define Terms of a Peace Treaty

Clinton, Sanders, Obama: The Democrats Try To Define Terms of a Peace Treaty

Since releasing this post earlier, Senator Pernie Sanders has met with President Obama and about 90 minutes later President Obama released his HIllary Clinton endorsement video.

The duo will set off for Wisconsin next week in their first campaign event together.

President Obama Endorses HIllary Clinton

Hillary Clinton Victory Speech June 7 Brooklyn

Madison Stubbington In 'Le Temple du Soleil' By Sanchez & Mongiello For Numero #160 February 2015

Madison Stubbington In ‘Le Temple du Soleil’ By Sanchez & Mongiello For Numero #160 February 2015

Female Skull In Israel's Manot Cave Links Humans & Neanderthals 55,000 Years Ago

Female Skull In Israel's Manot Cave Links Humans & Neanderthals 55,000 Years Ago AOC Muse

Israeli researchers published a critical article this week, arguing that a 55,000 years-old, female skull found in the Manot Cave of Israel’s Western Galilee is a crucial link in understanding the evolution of the human species.  Scientists believe that the skull offers definitive proof that anatomically modern humans coexisted with Neanderthals in the same geographical area.

It’s widely accepted science that human origins date back about 200,000 years to Africa. However, there has not been agreement about which migration model of early Homo sapiens led to the population of our planet, accompanied by the extinction of Neanderthals.

The morphology of the skull indicates that it is that of a modern human of African origin, bearing characteristics of early European Upper Palaeolithic populations. This suggests that the Levantine populations were ancestral to earlier European populations,” said Prof. (Israel) Hershkovitz (of Tel Aviv University).  “This study also provides important clues regarding the likely inbreeding between anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals.”

The Manot Cave, where the skull was unearthed, was discovered accidentally in 2008 when a bulldozer struck the cave roof, revealing a time capsule tens of thousands of years old. “This is a goldmine,” said Prof. Hershkovitz. “Most other caves are ‘disturbed caves,’ but this is untouched, frozen in time — truly an amazing find. Among other artefacts found there, the skull, which we dated to 55,000 years ago using uranium thorium methods, was astonishing. It provides insight into the beginnings of the dispersal of modern humans all over the world.”

Anais Mali Pays Tribute To Warrior Women In 'Amazon' By Urivaldo Lopes for French Revue De Modes #25

Anais Mali Pays Tribute To Warrior Women In ‘Amazon’ By Urivaldo Lopes for French Revue De Modes #25

In Greek mythology, the Amazons were fierce female warriors who descended from Ares, the god of war. Amazonian women are frequently pictured fighting on horseback with bows and arrows, axes and spears. Frequently Amazons carry a crescent-shaped shield. As patriarchal values soared in Greece and especially under Aristotle, the Amazons were portrayed as man-hating women.

The Amazon River in South America is believed to have been named by the Spanish explorer Fransisco de Orellana in 1541 who encountered female warriors on his voyage through a territory then called Maranon.

Paul de Luna's 'Samsara' & The Sacred Feminine

Paul de Luna’s ‘Samsara’ & The Sacred Feminine

In their book ‘Myths of the Female Divine’, authors David Leeming & Jake Page describe researchers earliest understanding of the Goddess:

Like the human fetus in its early form, Goddess was thoroughly female; she preceded any differentiation into God and Goddess. She seems to have been absolute and parthenogenetic — born of herself — the foundation of all being. She was the All-Giving and the All-Taking, the source of life and death and regeneration. More than a mother goddess or fertility goddess, she appears to have been earth and nature herself, an immense organic, ecological, and conscious whole — one with which we humans would eventually lose touch.

Evidence of Goddess mythology is pervasive around the globe. Scholars studying the ‘sacred feminine’ believe that by the time the great civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt flourished, the Goddess had dominated human consciousness for 25,000 years.

Nomi Leasure On Sacred Feminine, Goddess Conspiracy Theories, Fashion Imagery and Nurturing Earth Mothers

Nomi Leasure On Sacred Feminine, Goddess Conspiracy Theories, Fashion Imagery and Nurturing Earth Mothers

Lais Ribeiro Is a Bahia Beauty By Michael Roberts for L'Officiel NL February 2013 As 'Toda Menina Baiana'

Lais Ribeiro Is a Bahia Beauty By Michael Roberts for L’Officiel NL February 2013 As ‘Toda Menina Baiana

Anilez Silva 'Africa' by Daniel Bracci Delves Into Woman's Collective Unconscious

Anilez Silva ‘Africa’ by Daniel Bracci Delves Into Woman’s Collective Unconscious

Returning to the Musée Dapper a few months later with my African American friend Phyllis, I told her the story of my quick exit from my first visit.

We entered the bookstore to the right of the entrance, which made leaving easy. Literally five minutes after walking in the front door, lights went our, alarms rang, and Phyllis and I were ushered out onto the street as doors were locked.

The adage is three strikes and you’re out, and this is my story. I returned to the MuséeDapper a few years later with my partner and his son.

By this time my unusual chemistry with African artifacts was known to my family, and we entered the building prepared to leave immediately. That was not the case. In fact, we spent at least 45 minutes wandering through the small rooms on a crowded day and were on the second floor when the alarms went off. 

Was I a witch? A high priestess?

This is the end of my Parisian African art museum story. The MuséeDapper moved to new quarters at a block away and I have no magic powers there.

Witch-Burning Steilneset Memorial by Peter Zumthor & Louise Bourgeois

Witch-Burning Steilneset Memorial by Peter Zumthor & Louise Bourgeois

Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and the late French-born artist Louise Bourgeoise collaborated in the hauntingly beautiful and poetic Steilneset Memorial in Vardø, Norway, an arresting memorial to 91 people, 77 women and 14 men, who were burned at the stake here in the 17th century for the crime of witchcraft.

Sturla J. Stalsett, general secretary of the Vardø Church City Mission, pointed out during the opening ceremonies presided over by Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway, that the memorial is meant to remind us of the ongoing danger of collectively creating scapegoats. If historical circumstances seem peculiar now, the intent behind the work addresses larger moral claims.

New Muses Line Up at the Acropolis

New Muses Line Up at the Acropolis