State Museum celebrates Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month and the State Museum in Albany is marking the occasion by celebrating the achievements of women across New York with an exhibit from its collection and an event of particular interest to women in the workforce.
The exhibit Women Who Lead, now open in Metropolis Hall, brings together objects and artworks from the museum’s collection highlighting the contributions of women. This includes the tools of State Paleontologist Winifred Goldring (1888-1971), one of the most prominent U.S. paleontologists in the first half of the 20th century and the first woman to serve as State Paleontologist of New York and as president of the Paleontological Society; artwork from contemporary Oneida Nation artists Karen Ann Hoffman and Dawn Dark Mountain, and the newly acquired Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument 1⁄3-scale model by sculptor Meredith Bergmann, a lifelong New Yorker.
Her full-scale sculpture was unveiled in New York City’s Central Park in August 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in the United States thanks to efforts of the nonprofit, all-volunteer group Monumental Women. It features three nationally recognized leaders of the women’s rights movement, all from New York State: Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Prior to the sculpture’s installation in the park, there were no monuments there depicting real women.
Since the 2020 unveiling of the sculpture, Monumental Women has worked to increase awareness and appreciation of women’s history through a nationwide education campaign. As part of that effort, Monumental Women embarked on a campaign to raise funds for the creation of the 1/3-size model of the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument that is now part of the State Museum’s collection.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, museum officials and dignitaries gathered at the museum for a donation ceremony to unveil the model. In a video address at the ceremony, Gov. Kathy Hochul noted the contributions of pioneering women to her own success.
“I’m delighted that a model of this sculpture representing this important chapter of our history will join the permanent collection of our State Museum. The truth is, I wouldn’t be here if weren’t for the trailblazing women who gathered in New York at Seneca Falls over 175 years ago — women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann M’Clintock. It was there that the women’s suffrage movement was truly born with heroes like Sojourner Truth and Susan Anthony pushing the cause forward in the years that followed.”
This week
Women’s History Month Equal Pay Day event, noon to 1 p.m., March 14 in the Huxley Theater at the State Museum: March 14 is equal pay day, the day that symbolizes how far into a new year the average woman must work to earn what the average man did the previous year. Because of the gender pay gap, it takes a woman 14.5 months to earn what a man earns in 12 months. This presentation will highlight New York state’s work to advance women’s equality in the workforce through law and policy. Topics will include the Human Rights Law, the gender wage gap, new salary transparency laws, and Gov. Hochul’s initiatives that support and empower women’s participation in the workforce. The event is free, but registration is required at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ celebrate-womens-historymonth-equal-pay-day-tickets-549326368957.