Marian Anderson Statue Artist Creates Women’s Rights Monument in Central Park
Meredith Bergmann, the artist who sculpted the Marian Anderson sculpture on Converse’s front campus, created the winning design for The Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony Woman Suffrage Movement Monument Design displayed New York’s Central Park. The monument is in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and features Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. This is the first monument dedicated to non-fictional women in Central Park.
The Marian Anderson bronze statue in front of Twichell Auditorium at the Zimmerli Performance Center honors the renowned contralto singer, humanitarian and symbol for anti-segregation in the Civil Rights era. Anderson performed in front of more than 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial, was the first black singer to sing a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera and served as a delegate to the United Nations. The Marian Anderson statue part of a series of figurative works depicting prominent women in American history that are permanently displayed throughout the Converse campus. The Women’s Rights Pioneers monument was unveiled on August 26, 2020, and featured on NBC’s Today Show.