New York City released the renderings of the monument that will honor the life and legacy of Shirley Chisholm.
Chisholm made history when she became the first Black woman ever elected to Congress in 1968, where she served from 1969 to 1983. In 1972, she launched a groundbreaking presidential campaign.
Designed by artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan Jeyifous, the 40-foot tall structure fuses a depiction of Chisholm’s iconic portrait with a silhouette of the United States Capitol building, New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs announced this week.
The monument will also include an amphitheater-style seating area.
“This becomes something that’s occupiable,” Williams told The New York Times. “It allows you to be enveloped in a conversation about interacting and bringing others along. This approach to a monument is that it’s an invitation to participate.”
It’s the first commission under the She Built NYC initiative, which seeks to correct the gender imbalance in the city’s public art.
“Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s dynamic leadership and activism continues to inspire all who learn her story, and her service deserves public recognition,” says NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray, who created the initiative with the deputy mayor and the Department of Cultural Affairs. “This artwork will be bright, bold and makes a statement—just like Chisholm herself.”
The monument will be built on the southeast corner of Prospect Park, and expected to be completed and revealed to the public by 2020.
