Georgia Boyd Russel
Mary Seacole ( http://www.maryseacoleappeal.org.uk/), the Crimean war nurse, was buried in my old constituency of Hammersmith (Kensal Green cemetary). I set up this charity to give recognition of Mary and the role of ethnic minorities in British history. It will be the first memorial to a black woman in Britain.
Susan Stockwell
The artist selection event was held last week at the Guards Museum in Birdcage Walk near Buckingham Palace with some Scots Guards present.
Maurice Blik
Cleo Sylvestre the actress who plays Mary Seacole did a wonderful performance of Mary.
George Kelly
We had good media coverage. The Selection Panel felt thay had to see two of the artists again and choose one of them to complete the Memorial – this is getting really exciting!
Etienne Millner
Bill Woodrow
The two artists are Bill Woodrow and Martin Jennings. Look at the images and tell me who you would
choose.
Martin Jennings
I have included the remaining six because they were also very good and deserve to be seen.
All I have to do after that is raise £400,000! Wish me luck!
Does The Bronze Woman in Stockwell not count as it’s a generic woman not a specific woman?
I have to ask the question, £400,000 seems a very expensive memorial especially in hard economic times. Were all the designs proposed of similar cost?
The appeal site mentions ‘another’ peer called Lord Soley of Hammersmith, is someone local hinting you should have included it in your title 😉
The bronze woman is, as you say, a generic statue. There is not one to a specific individual black woman.
I foolishly thought that £50,000 would do the trick when I started out – the art world quickly put me right. Apart from the actual work and paying the artist you also have to put some aside for maintenance.
No – I’m the only Lord Soley that I know of!
Lord Soley: You have posted before on Mary Seacole and I would not wish to subtract from the importance you rightly place upon her but there is another perspective.
Although her humanity unfolded in the Crimean War, to the Russians it was their oriental war. Whilst we had the freedoms that allowed Mary to placate her conscience her opposite number in the Russian conflict did not, to the extent that they remain unsung heroes.
What is contemporary about the Crimean war is that the holy land was central to the conflict. Mary as a battle front nurse did what many of the humanitarian organisations attempt to do now under similar circumstances. Our own troops abroad too owe her a debt of gratitude.
So her epitaph is more than what she did it goes wider. Should the memorial reflect this with her as a central theme? It will be a memorial to selfless nursing.
There is good PR here on an international basis with the Russians, Jamaicans, French and so on. I feel sure that they would contribute to memorial funds if the marketing was done right. Perhaps one of the ad agencies would volunteer some of their time too? Have you tried pursuing royal patronage there may be some mileage in it.
But hopefully not on expenses!
Ref: Mary Seacole Statue Appeal
http://www.maryseacole.com/maryseacole/pages/mary_statue.html
Good points. I have thought about this but haven’t succeeded in attracting much overseas support – yet!
Princess Alexandra has agreed to unveil the Memorial when it is finished.