{"id":12223,"date":"2017-03-16T07:11:15","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T11:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ashley-spencer.com\/ArtIsEverywhere\/?p=12223"},"modified":"2017-03-18T12:04:54","modified_gmt":"2017-03-18T16:04:54","slug":"the-fearless-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ashley-spencer.com\/ArtIsEverywhere\/2017\/03\/the-fearless-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fearless Girl"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Wednesday a week ago, many women abandoned their work and marched to recognize “A Day Without A Woman”<\/a> but I found the Fearless Girl statue facing down the well-known “raging” Wall Street Bull sculpture much more remarkable and leaving a powerful impression. Ironically the US-based political march was mostly by angry women striking about a life without women with participants shouting visceral chants against the newest administration. I’m for free speech but I think the Fearless Girl, precisely as little as she is, has more impact.<\/p>\n

The march was strategically planned on International Women’s Day<\/a>, which has a long history (since 1911) of celebrating the positive accomplishments of women. It brings recognition to the importance of women, since the oppression of women was first recognized in 1908 — with a march. The recent women’s strike was not mentioned on the IWD’s website.<\/p>\n

This is not to say marches don’t send a message. They can and have affected change. I’m in Northern VA, where schools had to close because female teachers didn’t come to work. The Fearless Girl statue, however, gives an enduring visual perspective through the personal expression of art that a fleeting march just can’t. The statue brought all sorts of questions to mind because I didn’t know its backstory but wondered who the artist was and how the statue was able to be placed in the current location. Will it stay?<\/p>\n

Here’s what I learned. The statue was commissioned and officially put in location by State Street Global Advisors<\/a> and they tweeted this statement<\/a>:\u00a0 We wanted to highlight the power of women in leadership. So we made room in the one place business couldn’t ignore.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Fearless
Fearless Girl video by State Street Advisors via YouTube. Click this link to play.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a wonderful video! I love the demonstration of the creative process and the message. Hey, but where’s the credit to the artist, who is female, by the way?!!<\/p>\n

Here’s how they installed<\/a> — the day before the women’s march and IWD.<\/p>\n