Two Ithaca icons immortalized in educational statue by renowned sculptor. Who are they?

Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature Dan Klein will see a familiar face in a statue that will soon be on display in the city of Ithaca thanks to an established sculptor.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug 17, the Ithaca Historic Statues Steering Committee is inviting Ithacans to the unveiling of a statue honoring two Ithaca icons - Lucy Brown and Frances Perkins - hand-made by renowned sculptor Meredith Bergmann.

“I had the privilege of working with Lucy Brown a little bit on some beautification projects,” he said Monday. “One thing I admired about her was that she would talk with lots of people who walked by where we were tending to the flowers.”

The event will begin in the parking lot at Breckenridge Place Apartments, located at 100 W Seneca St in the city and move along Cayuga Street to Henry St. John School, guided by a procession celebrating women who've made history.

The committee suggests on its information webpage for the statues that those who plan to attend the unveiling should consider printing out this frame and writing or drawing a tribute inside to a special woman in your life or in local history who has made an impact.

Project details

The project was guided by a committee composed of historians, educators, Johanna Anderson, Executive Director, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services and her successor, Kate de la Garza.

“So many good people live in and pass through Tompkins County. I think their legacies elevate all of us,” Klein said. “I’m glad that the statues of Lucy Brown and Frances Perkins will turn them into permanent residents of Tompkins County.”

Frances Perkins was a lifelong advocate for working people and social reformer. As the first female presidential cabinet secretary, she spearheaded Franklin D. Roosevelt’s historic New Deal. Perkins taught at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell from 1957 to 1965, residing at the Telluride House.

“I never knew until recently that Frances Perkins spent a number of years in Ithaca,” Klein said. “She was the first female cabinet member in the United States and should be better known, whether she knew the passersby or not.”

Lucy Brown dedicated her life to advancing racial justice, educational equity, and affordable housing. As a co-founder of INHS, Lucy Brown was instrumental in the nonprofit’s long-term growth and commitment to affordable housing, especially in Ithaca’s Southside neighborhood as she served continuously on the INHS Board of Directors from 1976 through 2017.

Brown served on the Ithaca City School Board, the Board of Public Works, and Urban Renewal Agency as an advocate for neighborhood residents, ensuring that their issues are central in all decision-making.

The statue of Frances Perkins holds a list highlighting the programs she took to President Roosevelt, while Lucy Brown is with her pencil and pad on which she wrote reminders to herself of things that needed to be done.

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Both women will welcome onlookers to sit and listen to their statements available through a QR code that narrates their impact and commitment to solutions for social and economic problems.

Bergmann’s portfolio includes the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument in New York’s Central Park, the Boston Women’s Memorial and the FDR Hope Memorial on Roosevelt Island. Bergmann works “for social justice and historical redress” through her public art.

The artist did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Two Ithaca icons immortalized in educational statue by renowned sculptor. Who are they?