Four finalists are in the running to create the first-ever monument to women in Central Park.
The artists, unveiled at a Wednesday news conference packed with female leaders and Girl Scouts, are now tasked with creating a unique design for the “Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Woman Suffrage Movement Monument.”
One winning submission will be announced in July.
This is the latest step in a long-running campaign to make sure groundbreaking “real women” are represented in the park, which is dotted with statues of literary characters, nymphs, animals and men.
“[People] will look and see not only Anthony and Stanton but they will remember all the brave women who fought for the right to vote,” said Pam Elam, president of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund.
Elam and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer have spent years trying to raise awareness and funds for a women’s statue in the park. Brewer pointed out when Girl Scouts from Troop 3484 in Manhattan got involved, it opened the door for more attention and donations.
The announcement was made at the Girl Scout Central in midtown where young members of Troop 3746 and Troop 3482 — which made a previous donation to the fund — read the names of the finalists.
On Wednesday, Troop 3746 handed over a check for $5,000 from their cookie fund to help pay for the monument.
One of the proud moms in the audience was actress Sarah Jessica Parker, a city resident whose daughters are Girl Scouts.
“I’m excited that my daughters have a voice and role in creating something historic,” Parker said in a statement. “Millions of people from all over the world will get to learn about women’s important contributions to American history.”
Meridith Maskara, the CEO of the Girls Scouts of Greater New York, said getting involved in civic issues is an important part of their program
“We teach them to recognize an issue they care about in their community, collaborate to solve the problem and take action on it,” she said.
The finalists include: Meredith Bergmann, Jane DeDecker, Victoria Guerina and Lloyd Lillie, and Ann Hirsch. They were chosen from 91 submissions.
In November, city officials celebrated the selection of a site for the monument at the Literary Walk in the south end of the park.
