Fern Cunningham
Fern Cunningham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 24, 1949 |
| Died | August 19, 2020 (aged 71)[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Fern Cunningham-Terry |
| Alma mater | Boston University |
| Occupation | Sculptor |
Fern Cunningham (24 January 1949 – 19 August 2020) was an American sculptor. One of her best known works is the Harriet Tubman Memorial, which was the first statue honoring a woman on city-owned land in Boston.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Cunningham was born in New York City and grew up in Alaska and upstate New York.[3] Her mother was an art teacher, potter, and painter, and her father worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a tuberculosis specialist. She majored in sculpture at Boston University.[4]
Career
[edit]After graduating from Boston University, Cunningham stayed on in Boston and taught art at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts until it closed its doors in 1985. She later taught at the Park School in Brookline. She received her first major commission in the 1990s when she was hired by the Browne Fund to create a monument for the Joseph E. Lee School in Dorchester. The result was Earth Challengers, which depicts three small children holding up the globe. She was then commissioned by the city for several projects, including Family Circle (1996), a bronze sculpture on Elm Hill Avenue in Roxbury, depicting a mother and father embracing to protect their child; The Sentinel (2003), which depicts an African woman watching over the Forest Hills Cemetery; and Rise (2005), a 20-foot granite and bronze monument in Mattapan Square, which celebrates the diverse history of Mattapan.[5]
One of her best known works is the Harriet Tubman memorial, titled Step on Board, in Boston's South End. The seven-by-ten foot bronze sculpture stands at the entrance to Harriet Tubman Park, which is a stop on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.[6] It depicts a young Harriet Tubman carrying a Bible, leading a small group of men and women to freedom. The figures are backed by a wall, which Cunningham said represents the "wall of bondage" from which they are emerging. Installed in 1999, it was the first memorial honoring a woman on city-owned land in Boston. Cunningham later said that one of her aims in creating the piece was to raise the question, "Who is a hero?"[7]
Cunningham cited Auguste Rodin as a major influence, particularly his Burghers of Calais, which she saw as a student in France.[4] Her other influences include Elizabeth Catlett, Henry Moore, Augusta Savage, and Michelangelo.[8]
Cunningham's awards included the Beta Beta Boulé Award (2000); an Appreciation Award from the Roxbury Action Program for incorporating African-American history into her art (2003); a Drylongso Award, which honors African Americans for combating racism (2004); and the Renaissance Living Legend Award from the Boston Renaissance Charter School (2005).[5]
Cunningham died on August 19, 2020, at the age of 71.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Gray, Arielle (August 21, 2020). "Fern Cunningham-Terry, Renowned Boston Sculptor, Dies At 71". WBUR.
- ^ "Step on Board / Harriet Tubman Memorial". Public Art Boston. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Scheible, Sue (April 21, 2016). "Hanson sculptor who created Tubman memorial hails news of $20 bill". The Patriot Ledger.
- ^ a b "Interview". Fern Cunningham Sculpture.
- ^ a b "Art for the People". WGBH/Basic Black. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
- ^ Kaufman, Polly W. (2006). Boston Women's Heritage Trail: Seven Self-Guided Walks Through Four Centuries of Boston Women's History. Applewood Books. p. 77. ISBN 9781933212401.
- ^ Sernett, Milton C. (2007). Harriet Tubman: Myth, Memory, and History. Duke University Press. pp. 244–245. ISBN 9780822390275.
- ^ "Influences". Fern Cunningham Sculpture.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- "Sculptor Fern Cunningham with her Work, 'The Sentinel'". Getty Images.
- "Rise". Public Art Boston. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "Family Circle". Public Art Boston. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
- 1949 births
- 2020 deaths
- Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni
- African-American sculptors
- Sculptors from New York City
- Artists from Boston
- Sculptors from Massachusetts
- 20th-century American sculptors
- 21st-century American sculptors
- 21st-century American women sculptors
- Sculptors from New York (state)
- 20th-century African-American women
- 20th-century African-American artists
- 21st-century African-American sportswomen
- 21st-century American sportswomen
- 21st-century African-American artists
- 20th-century American women sculptors