MOTHER MONUMENT
Holly Trostle Brigham’s “Mother Monument” celebrates famous and forgotten women artists throughout history.
Brigham created this sculptural artist book in collaboration with eight poets, whose verses accompany the eight historical figures encircling the piece. Brigham often models these historical figures as self-portraits, linking her own creative work to a matriarchal line of women throughout history. The historic artists Brigham celebrates include Artemesia Gentileschi, Frida Kah- lo, Edmonia Lewis and Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. Nested into a hand-drawn marbled-paper box, the work unfolds into an obelisk-like form, reclaiming this highly masculine shape for a monument to female agency and creativi- ty. Various flaps and doors adorned with poetry allow for further interaction as the viewer participates in the act of commemoration. The artist’s devotion to feminist narratives of history and this work’s em- powerment of underrecognized women seemed a fitting tribute to the late William F. Prokasy IV, board member of the museum and vice president for academic affairs emeritus at UGA, who championed the causes of women at the university.
Jeffrey Richmond-Moll Curator of American art
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