San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
7foot Ginsburg statue unveiled in native Brooklyn
NEW YORK — A 7foottall bronze statue honoring late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was unveiled Friday morning in her Brooklyn hometown.
Borough President Eric Adams and Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte pulled a sheet off the 650pound sculpture in the lobby of downtown Brooklyn’s City Point shopping center as cameras clicked.
“She kept that Brooklyn pride and stride as she sat on the bench,” said Adams. “She made it clear — right out of Midwood — that she was happy to be a Brooklynite.”
Brooklyn is returning the love. Her March 15, 1933 birthday will now be celebrated as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Day in the city’s most populous borough.
The liberal icon, who authored groundbreaking opinions and withering dissents during a 27year run on the nation’s Supreme Court, died Sept. 18.
The statue, crafted by Australian artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, was planned before the justice’s death, and she was aware of the project, said Erica Roseman, a spokesperson for City Point.
The sculpture, made in Australia and then shipped to New York, shows the Columbia Law graduate standing in a judge’s robe, her hands clasped together.
The second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg proved a powerful voice for gender equality.
“Her work is not over,” Bichotte said. “We must continue championing women’s rights. Gender bias is still alive and well — even in our progressive city. We must carry Justice Ginsburg’s torch of justice.”
The artists’ new work is one in a series honoring women. The project is intended to offer some balance in a city where depictions of men make up the vast majority of statues.
“With the two steps on its large base representing the Supreme Court and the climb she made to get there, the work is designed to provide the public with an opportunity to stand at her side, and gain inspiration from her journey fighting for equal rights,” the artists said in a joint statement.
Previous sculptures by the pair include likenesses of talk show host Oprah Winfrey, actress Nicole Kidman and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas.
“Her remarkable legacy, her profound sense of justice, and her unwavering desire to do what is right will forever serve as inspiration,” State Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.