Sarah Hempel Irani, the award-winning sculptor we've commissioned to create the Claire McCardell statue, presented an informative talk about her progress in the studio and other women sculptors at TFAC's Nov. 12 meeting. We met via Zoom, and Sarah's passion for her chosen field of art--and for Claire--came through clearly and with unbridled enthusiasm. If only we could have given her a round of (audible) applause, not to mention a standing ovation!
Claire is well underway. She's been enlarged from the half-size image Sarah's pictured with above to her full height of 7.5 feet. Sarah's now refining her so that she can be sent to Colorado to be cast in bronze. We're anticipating a fall 2021 unveiling.
Among the women sculptors Sarah introduced us to were: Edmonia Lewis, the first sculptor of African American and Native American descent to achieve international recognition; Vinnie Ream, whose most famous work is the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the U.S. Capitol rotunda, which she was commissioned to create when she was only 18; and Anna Hyatt Huntingdon, noted sculptor who with her husband established Brookgreen Gardens, the first public sculpture garden in the U.S.
We fully expect Sarah to join this elite corps of sculptors some day! (Find out more the Claire project here and about Sarah here.)
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