''Fortitude'' (also known as ''Lady Fortitude'') is a public artwork by the American artist James King, located in Fortitude Plaza at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. ''Fortitude'' was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...

survey in 1993.

Description

The sculpture depicts a figure of a woman cut from a thin piece of metal. She "wears" a sleeveless dress, high heels and has short, straight hair. She is walking; with her proper left arm swinging above her head and her proper right arm back behind her.

Artist

Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, sculptor James King received education from the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mil ...

, the

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange an ...

and the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich h ...

Information

The sculpture was unveiled on April 28, 1979 at 3:15pm by members of Delta Sigma Theta, to honor the founders of the service sorority. The sculpture is described as symbolizing "the attributes of strength, courage, hope, wisdom, beauty and femininity as depicted by the 22 founders of Delta Sigma Theta". In 1986, the sorority gifted small versions of ''Fortitude'' to

Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She ser ...

Leah Tutu Nomalizo Leah Tutu (; born 14 October 1933) is a South African activist and the widow of Desmond Tutu. Life Tutu was born Nomalizo Leah Shenxane on 14 October 1933 in Krugersdorp, South Africa. She married Desmond Tutu on 2 July 1955. They had ...

and Dorothy Boesak. On July 11, 2013, the sorority dedicated Fortitude Plaza, surrounding the sculpture, as a gift to Howard University. The Plaza was designed by four female architectural students at Howard University. The design was based on the original landscape work of

David Williston David A. Williston (1868–1962) was the first professionally trained African American landscape architect in the United States. He designed many campuses for historically black colleges and universities, including Tuskegee University. He also taugh ...

, who designed the space in 1932.

Condition

This sculpture was surveyed in 1993 for its condition and was described as "well maintained".

References

{{Public art in Washington, D.C., state=collapsed Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Delta Sigma Theta Howard University Artworks in the collection of Howard University 1979 sculptures Steel sculptures in Washington, D.C.