Statue of Mary McLeod Bethune (U.S. Capitol) explained

Mary McLeod Bethune
Italic Title:no
Image Upright:.9
Artist:Nilda M. Comas
Medium:Marble sculpture
Subject:Mary McLeod Bethune
Height Imperial:11 feet (including pedestal)
Metric Unit:cm
Imperial Unit:in
Weight:6,129 lbs
City:Washington, D.C., United States

The statue honoring civil rights and women's rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune was unveiled in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., representing Florida in the National Statuary Hall Collection on July 13, 2022.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] This makes her the first black American represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection.[6]

The statue is made of Italian Carrara marble and was carved by Nilda M. Comas in Pietrasanta, Italy.[1] The marble came from the same Tuscan quarry used by Michelangelo to carve David.[7] The completed statue weighs 3 tons and measures 11 feet tall, including the base.

Master sculptor, Comas, is the first artist of Puerto Rican descent to be commissioned to contribute to the National Statuary Hall Collection.[8] She was the artist selected out of a pool of 1,600. She worked from her studios in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Pietrasanta, Italy, and she traveled to Mayesville, South Carolina--Dr. Bethune's hometown--to research the life and personality of her subject.[9]

In addition to conveying a likeness, the statue represents symbols of Dr. Bethune's life and legacy. Dr. Bethune is clad in cap and gown to represent her lifelong devotion to education. Comas sculpted the rose from a Spanish black marble. The token commemorates Dr. Bethune's visit to a multi-colored rose garden, in which she envisioned the possibility of racial harmony and the value of diversity to individuals and society alike. The base of the statue serves to balance the weight of the statue as a whole and was carved into forms of large books, the words on the spines are the actual words of Dr. Bethune's last will and testament, "I leave you love, hope, faith, racial dignity, a thirst for education, courage and peace." The statue's cane represents a cherished cane that Dr. Bethune once lenaed upon, a cane that President Franklin Roosevelt had possessed and gifted to her through her friend, Eleanor Roosevelt. Finally, the statue's base is inscribed with a quote from Dr. Bethune: "Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it may be a diamond in the rough."

The statue replaced Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith's statue as one of Florida's two offerings to the collection.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. Architect of the Capitol. July 13, 2022. July 14, 2022.
  2. Web site: 2022-07-13 . Mary McLeod Bethune becomes first Black American honored in U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall . 2022-07-13 . PBS NewsHour . en-us . 2022-07-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714151118/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/mary-mcleod-bethune-becomes-first-black-american-honored-in-u-s-capitols-statuary-hall . live .
  3. Web site: Mary McLeod Bethune Statue Unveiled in National Statuary Hall C-SPAN.org . 2022-07-13 . www.c-span.org . 2022-07-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714151119/https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5023456/mary-mcleod-bethune-statue-unveiled-national-statuary-hall . live .
  4. Web site: Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune statue on way to U.S Capitol after unveiling ceremony in Italy. 12 July 2021. 15 July 2021. 15 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210715034744/https://castor.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=403664. live.
  5. Web site: Zaffiro-Kean . Eileen . Before Capitol unveiling, Mary McLeod Bethune statue could be on display at Daytona's MOAS . 2022-07-14 . Daytona Beach News-Journal Online . en-US . 2021-09-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210917234328/https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2021/03/26/mary-mcleod-bethune-statue-could-go-on-display-at-daytona-beach-museum/6972778002/ . live .
  6. Web site: Capitol statue collection gets first Black American, replacing Confederate. The Washington Post. July 13, 2022.
  7. Web site: Abbott . Jim . July 11, 2022 . Mary McLeod Bethune statue unveiling: Key facts and how to watch . April 18, 2024 . Daytona Beach News-Journal.
  8. Web site: Florida Artists Hall of Fame: Nilda Comas . April 18, 2024 . Florida Department of State.
  9. Web site: Boone . Aunye . September 21, 2022 . A Conversation with Sculptor Nilda Comas . April 18, 2024 . National Endowment for the Arts.