Boston Women's Memorial, Bronze sculpture memorial on Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Boston, United States.
The Boston Women's Memorial is a bronze and granite group of three figurative sculptures on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston. Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams and Lucy Stone are shown at street level, not on pedestals, though each pedestal is part of the work: Stone uses hers as an editorial desk for the Woman's Journal, which she founded. Quotations from the women are inscribed on their plinths.
The idea of a memorial to women was first discussed in 1992, when Boston's statues barely represented women. The Boston Women's Commission, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee and the Massachusetts Historical Society, backed by Angela Menino, developed it over twelve years. New York sculptor Meredith Bergmann won the design competition, and Mayor Thomas Menino unveiled the work on October 25, 2003.
The memorial depicts Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley, three women who shaped American history through different paths. Visitors can stand right next to each figure, making the encounter feel personal rather than distant.
The memorial is outdoors on Commonwealth Avenue Mall and can be visited at any time of year without any entry requirement. Each figure has a QR code nearby that gives access to audio recordings with more details about the women depicted.
Phillis Wheatley, one of the three women depicted, was enslaved in the 18th century and still became a published poet. Her figure holds a quill and writes on her base, a direct reference to the act of writing that defined her life.
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