Jane Goodall has been named one of the ten most inspiring women of our time. As part of the global art project Statues For Equality, a project aiming to promote gender equality in public statues around the world, Goodall will be immortalised as a life-size bronze statue in New York City.
Created by world renowned artists Gillie and Marc, the most successful and prolific creators of public art in New York’s History according to the New York Times, Statues For Equality aims to transform the serious imbalance in the representation of historical women memorialised as public statues.
In New York City, only 3% of the statues depict women, a statistic that is mirrored around the globe. Statues For Equality is turning the tide on this with the introduction of ten new sculptures of inspiring women, including Jane Goodall.
Goodall will have her likeness erected alongside nine other women on Women’s Equality Day (August 26) at RXR Realty’s famous 1285 Avenue of the Americas. She will be joined by Oprah Winfrey, Pink, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Tererai Trent, Janet Mock, Tracy Dyson, Cheryl Strayed, and Gabby Douglas.
This is only the beginning of the project with the artists encouraging the public to nominate the women they think should be memorialised. Already two new women have been added to the list: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and tennis superstar Serena Williams. These will be completed in 2020.
The aim is for the project is to become a global movement, changing the representation of women one sculpture at a time.
“We hope that as the project expands, it will include a broader diversity of race, class, ability, sexual orientation and gender expression,” says Gillie.
About Gillie and Marc
Gillie and Marc have been called the most successful and prolific creators of public art in New York’s History by the New York Times. Creating some of the world’s most innovative public sculptures, Gillie and Marc are re-designing what public art should be, spreading messages of love, equality, and conservation around the world. Their highly coveted sculptures and paintings can be seen in art galleries and public sites in over 250 cities. They’re Archibald Prize Finalists and have won the Chianciano Biennale in Italy, among other notable awards and accolades.
Referred to by the media as “the world’s most loving artists”, this artistic duo has worked side by side for 27 years, creating art as one and spreading the love they have for each other with the world. The artists first met on a film shoot in Hong Kong and 7-days later they ran away to Nepal to get married on the foothills of Mount Everest. They’ve been inseparable ever since.
The artists are best known for their beloved characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, who tell the autobiographical tale of two opposites coming together to become best friends and soul mates. As unlikely animal kingdom companions, the Rabbit and the Dog stand for diversity and acceptance through love. Gillie and Marc believe art is a powerful platform for change. Their art is multi-disciplinary, paying homage to the importance of togetherness, as well as the magnificence of the natural world, and the necessity of preserving it – for we are it, and it is us.
Their art has raised hundreds of thousands in donations for the many wildlife charities and causes they support. For more information, visit www.gillieandmarc.com or www.goodbyerhinos.org.
