| Mary McLeod Bethune | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Nilda M. Comas |
| Year | 2022 (2022) |
| Medium | Marble sculpture |
| Subject | Mary McLeod Bethune |
| Dimensions | (11 feet (including pedestal) in) |
| Weight | 6,129 lbs |
| Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
The statue honoring civil rights and women's rights activistMary McLeod Bethune was unveiled in theUnited States Capitol inWashington, D.C., representingFlorida in theNational Statuary Hall Collection on July 13, 2022.[1][2][3][4][5] This makes her the first black American represented in theNational 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 byMichelangelo to carve David.[7] The completed statue weighs 3 tons and measures 11 feet tall, including the base.[7]
Master sculptor, Comas, is the first artist of Puerto Rican descent to be commissioned to contribute to theNational Statuary Hall Collection.[8] She was the artist selected out of a pool of 1,600. She worked from her studios inFt. Lauderdale, Florida andPietrasanta, Italy, and she traveled toMayesville, 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.[7] 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.[7] 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."[7] The statue's cane represents a cherished cane that Dr. Bethune once leaned upon, a cane thatPresident Franklin Roosevelt had possessed and gifted to her through her friend,Eleanor Roosevelt.[9] 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."[7]
The statue replacedConfederate General Edmund Kirby Smith's statue as one of Florida's two offerings to the collection.
