Penelope Jencks (born 1936 in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, USA) is an American sculptor and a graduate of Boston University (BFA, 1958). Her public works include a statue of the historian

Samuel Eliot Morison Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and tau ...

(1982) on Commonwealth Avenue in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

; a statue of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

(1996) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

's Riverside Park; and a statue of

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...

(2007) at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massach ...

. A common characteristic of all three works is the geological character of the base, in the form of sculpted rocks and boulders, supporting the bronze figure.

Eleanor Roosevelt Monument

The Eleanor Roosevelt Monument, located in

's Riverside Park, is said to be the first monument dedicated to an American president's wife.

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

(First Lady at the time) gave the keynote address at the monument's October 1996 dedication. The statue, the boulder on which it leans, and the foot stone on which it rests, all sculpted by Jencks, form the centerpiece of a heavily planted circular memorial designed by the landscape architects Bruce Kelly and David Varnell. The architect

Michael Dwyer Michael Dwyer (1 January 1772– 23 August 1825) was an insurgent captain in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, leading the United Irish forces in battles in Wexford and Wicklow. Following the defeat and dispersal of the rebel hosts, in July 1798 ...

designed two inscribed granite medallions set into the surrounding bluestone paving, including one with a quotation from Roosevelt's 1958 speech at the United Nations advocating universal human rights, and a bronze tablet, located in the planting bed, summarizing her many achievements.

Gallery

File:Riverside Drive at 72nd Street.jpg, Penelope Jencks's statue of

seen from the south. File:Eleanor Roosevelt Monument - 2017-12-02 - Statue view from North.jpg, The statue of Eleanor Roosevelt, the boulder, and the footstone, sculpted by Penelope Jencks. File:Eleanor Roosevelt Monument Biographical Plaque.jpg, Eleanor Roosevelt Biographical Plaque, designed by

. File:Boston (2019) - 098.jpg, Statue of Samuel Eliot Morison. File:2021-02-22-R-FROST-AMHERST-MA.jpg, Statue of poet Robert Frost, sculpted by Penelope Jencks, and installed at Amherst College in

References

Living people 1936 births Artists from Baltimore Sculptors from Maryland 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American women sculptors 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American women sculptors Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni {{US-sculptor-stub