{"id":13803,"date":"2025-10-29T17:32:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T17:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/?p=13803"},"modified":"2026-02-18T18:02:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T18:02:06","slug":"ohios-next-landmark-honors-the-monumental-women-around-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/ohios-next-landmark-honors-the-monumental-women-around-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio\u2019s Next Landmark Honors the Monumental Women Around Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ohio is preparing to add something big to its Statehouse grounds: a new monument that honors the impact and efforts of women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea took root in 2019, when the Ohio Women\u2019s Suffrage Centennial Commission was convened to mark 100 years of the 19th<\/sup> Amendment.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the group hosted events and shared history about the amendment that granted women the right to vote, they began to wonder how they could create something lasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe talked about how important this anniversary was and what permanent things we could do to commemorate it,\u201d says Donna Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sparked the question: What if there was a monument commemorating Ohio women at the Statehouse?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But adding a new work of art to Capitol Square is no easy feat. A minimum five-year waiting period and multiple layers of review stood between the idea and installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undeterred, the Commission partnered with the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) and the Capitol Square Foundation to begin the long journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a national artist search, the committee selected sculptor Brenda Councill<\/a><\/a>, known for blending classical forms with contemporary meanings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Ohio Arts Council<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n The monument design blends contemporary and classical styles, with significant historical references of Ohio women, grouped from 1850 to the present\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n
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\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Manny Jenkins, Maj Productions<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n Artist Brenda Councill temporarily moved from her studio in North Carolina to the Zanesville, Ohio location of Allan Cottrill Sculpture Studio to build the figures for the monument. \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n
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\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Manny Jenkins, Maj Productions<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n The design concept moves beyond the Suffrage movement to encapsulate women of yesterday, today, and tomorrow as they continue to work towards better opportunities for education and employment.\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n
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\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Manny Jenkins, Maj Productions<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n A community-wide unveiling is planned to celebrate the Ohio Women\u2019s Monument and the first representation of real women on the Ohio Statehouse grounds. \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n
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\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Manny Jenkins, Maj Productions<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n A 3D prints of an original clay sculpture\u2014an essential step in bringing the Ohio Women\u2019s Monument to life. After the clay forms are digitally scanned and enlarged, they\u2019re 3D printed in acrylic resin. This material then becomes the traditional wax phase used in the bronze casting process. \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n
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\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Manny Jenkins, Maj Productions<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n Bronze begins to break free from the ceramic shell at the foundry, revealing the powerful figures of the Ohio Women\u2019s Monument. \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n
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\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Ohio Arts Council<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n The Ohio Women\u2019s Monument will be installed on the South Plaza of the Ohio Statehouse on State Street, across from the Ohio Theatre. \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n\n
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