Emma Willard Memorial
Encyclopedia
The Emma Hart Willard Memorial, is a public artwork by designed by Pierre Zwick and sculpted by T.A. Campbell who worked for the Houlihan Shop in Rutland, Vermont. Erected in 1941, the memorial is located in a triangular-shaped park at the intersection of route 125 and route 7 in downtown Middlebury, Vermont.
relief are 4 feet (1.2 m) tall, 6 feet (1.8 m) long, and 4 inches (10 cm) wide. It rests on a white marble double base. The upper base measures 8 inches (20 cm) tall, 6 feet (1.8 m) long, and 8 inches (20 cm) wide. The lower base measures 8 inches (20 cm) tall, 7 feet (2.1 m) long, and 8 inches (20 cm) wide.
The Emma Willard Memorial is a two sided slab of marble with straight sides and an arched top. One side is carved to depict educator and American women's rights advocate Emma Willard
seated at a desk, and holding a pen as she writes. A globe, ink well, and books are depicted on the desk. The words "In memory of Emma Hart Willard Who Wrote at Middlebury in 1818 the Magna Carta for Higher Education of Women in America" are carved above the relief. On the opposite side of the memorial, the carved inscription reads, "Education Should Seek To Bring Its Subjects to the Perfection of their Moral, Intellectual and Physical Nature, in order that they May be of the Greatest Possible Use to Themselves and Others 1787 - Emma Hart Willard 1870".
The relief is unsigned.
. Since its dedication in 1941, the Emma Willard Memorial has been maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution
and is presently administered by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Ethan Allen Chapter, Middlebury, Vermont.
, a campaign organized by Heritage Preservation: The National Institute of Conservation partnered with the Smithsonian Institution
, specifically the Smithsonian American Art Museum
. Throughout the 1990s, over 7,000 volunteers cataloged and assessed the condition of over 30,000 publicly accessible statues, monuments, and sculptures installed as outdoor public art across the United States
. In Vermont, the survey was sponsored by the Vermont Museum and Gallery Alliance from 1992-1993 where 110 volunteers surveyed 242 sculptures dating from 1740 to 1993. The archives from the project are maintained by the Vermont Historical Society
.
Description
The overall dimensions of this marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
relief are 4 feet (1.2 m) tall, 6 feet (1.8 m) long, and 4 inches (10 cm) wide. It rests on a white marble double base. The upper base measures 8 inches (20 cm) tall, 6 feet (1.8 m) long, and 8 inches (20 cm) wide. The lower base measures 8 inches (20 cm) tall, 7 feet (2.1 m) long, and 8 inches (20 cm) wide.
The Emma Willard Memorial is a two sided slab of marble with straight sides and an arched top. One side is carved to depict educator and American women's rights advocate Emma Willard
Emma Willard
Emma Hart Willard was an American women’s rights activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women’s higher education, the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York...
seated at a desk, and holding a pen as she writes. A globe, ink well, and books are depicted on the desk. The words "In memory of Emma Hart Willard Who Wrote at Middlebury in 1818 the Magna Carta for Higher Education of Women in America" are carved above the relief. On the opposite side of the memorial, the carved inscription reads, "Education Should Seek To Bring Its Subjects to the Perfection of their Moral, Intellectual and Physical Nature, in order that they May be of the Greatest Possible Use to Themselves and Others 1787 - Emma Hart Willard 1870".
The relief is unsigned.
Information
Emma Hart Willard (February 23, 1787 – April 15, 1870) came to Middlebury, Vermont in 1807 to run the Middlebury Female Seminary. She left her position at the Seminary in 1809 when she married a local doctor and banker John Willard. Due to a financial reversal in 1814, Emma Willard began to teach women at the collegiate level in her home, and, thus, is credited as being the start of women's collegiate education in the United States.Acquisition
The sculpture was designed and sculpted with funding from the Federal Arts Project, and erected with funding from the Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
. Since its dedication in 1941, the Emma Willard Memorial has been maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
and is presently administered by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Ethan Allen Chapter, Middlebury, Vermont.
Artist
Pierre Zwick was a painter who was director of arts for the state of Vermont under the Works Progress Administration.Condition
This sculpture was documented as well maintained in 1992 as part of Save Outdoor Sculpture!Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! is a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. By fostering awareness and appreciation, SOS! aims to advocate proper care of a nationwide public resource....
, a campaign organized by Heritage Preservation: The National Institute of Conservation partnered with the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, specifically the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
. Throughout the 1990s, over 7,000 volunteers cataloged and assessed the condition of over 30,000 publicly accessible statues, monuments, and sculptures installed as outdoor public art across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In Vermont, the survey was sponsored by the Vermont Museum and Gallery Alliance from 1992-1993 where 110 volunteers surveyed 242 sculptures dating from 1740 to 1993. The archives from the project are maintained by the Vermont Historical Society
Vermont Historical Society
The Vermont Historical Society was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont Historical Society's administrative offices, the Leahy Library...
.