Meredith Bergmann is an American

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

, and essayist whose work is said to "forge enriching links between the past and the concerns of the present." She studied at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the c ...

and graduated from The

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

with a BFA. While at Cooper Union she discovered

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and spent several years traveling around Europe and studying in Pietrasanta, Italy. Her memorial to

Countee Cullen Countee Cullen (born Countee LeRoy Porter; May 30, 1903 – January 9, 1946) was an American poet, novelist, children's writer, and playwright, particularly well known during the Harlem Renaissance. Early life Childhood Countee LeRoy Porter ...

is in the collection of the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...

. In 2003, she unveiled the

Boston Women's Memorial The Boston Women's Memorial is a trio of sculptures on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, commemorating Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, and Lucy Stone. Overview The idea of a memorial to women was first discussed in 1992 in ...

Commonwealth Avenue Mall Commonwealth Avenue (colloquially referred to as Comm Ave by locals) is a major street in the cities of Boston and Newton, Massachusetts. It begins at the western edge of the Boston Public Garden, and continues west through the neighborhoods o ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

which includes statues of

Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley Peters, also spelled Phyllis and Wheatly ( – December 5, 1784) was an American author who is considered the first African-American author of a published book of poetry. Gates, Henry Louis, ''Trials of Phillis Wheatley: Ameri ...

Abigail Adams Abigail Adams ( ''née'' Smith; November 22, [ O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She was a founder of the United States, an ...

, and

Lucy Stone Lucy Stone (August 13, 1818 – October 18, 1893) was an American orator, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and Suffrage, suffragist who was a vocal advocate for and organizer promoting Women's rights, rights for women. In 1847, Sto ...

. In 2006, Bergmann's statue of the famous

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typical ...

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to Spiritual (music), spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throu ...

was unveiled on the campus of

Converse College Converse University is a private university in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse. It was originally a women's college but now admits ...

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offic ...

, South Carolina. In 2010, Bergmann created a sculpture of a slave girl named

Sally Maria Diggs Sally Maria Diggs (1851 – October 27, 1928) was an enslaved African-American girl, also known as "Pinky," whose freedom was famously bought by Henry Ward Beecher in 1860, during a sermon at Plymouth Church (Brooklyn), Plymouth Church, Brookl ...

, or "Pinky," whose freedom was purchased for $900 in 1860. Bergmann also completed a commission commemorating the events of

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

for New York City's

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood ...

entitled ''Memorial to September 11''.

''Women's Rights Pioneers Monument''

On August 26, 2020, the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote, her ''

Women's Rights Pioneers Monument The ''Women's Rights Pioneers Monument'' is a sculpture by Meredith Bergmann. It was installed in Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, on August 26 (Women's Equality Day), 2020. The sculpture is located at the northwest corner of Literary Walk ...

'' was dedicated in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

, New York City. Commissioned by

Monumental Women The ''Women's Rights Pioneers Monument'' is a sculpture by Meredith Bergmann. It was installed in Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, on August 26 (Women's Equality Day), 2020. The sculpture is located at the northwest corner of Literary Walk ...

, it portrays and honors suffragists

Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth (; born Isabella Baumfree; November 26, 1883) was an American abolitionist of New York Dutch heritage and a women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to f ...

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to so ...

, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It is Central Park's first statue depicting historical, and not fictional, female figures. The foundry responsible in delivering the work i
UAP
(formerly named Polich Tallix.)

Selected exhibitions

2018 Breaking the Bronze Ceiling, NY State Museum, Albany NY 2017 National Sculpture Society 84thAnnual, Brookgreen Gardens, SC 2016 The Christa Project, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NY 2011 Migrations, Proteus Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY September 11, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NY 2010 Artist and Artifact, Brooklyn Historical Society, NY The Great Nude Invitational, NYC 1996 Biography Memorials, Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx NY 1993 Surprise!, Elaine Benson Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY 1992 Growing Up, West Side YMCA, NYC

Awards

2019 Augustus St. Gaudens Artistic Achievement Award, The Cooper Union 2017 Proskauer Prize, National Sculpture Society 2008 Brooklyn Historical Society Residency 2003 Grand Circle Foundation for Boston Women's Memorial 2002 Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund for Boston Women's Memorial 2001 Barbara Lee Family Foundation for Boston Women's Memorial 1997 Fellowship for Sculpture, New York Foundation for the Arts 1983 Fellowship for Sculpture, New Jersey State Council On the Arts 1982 Project Grant, New York State Council On the Arts 1977 The Eliot Lash Award for Sculpture, The Cooper Union

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American sculptors Cooper Union alumni Wesleyan University alumni American women poets American women sculptors 21st-century American women artists 21st-century American poets 21st-century American women writers {{US-sculptor-stub