After four years of fundraising, design work and an inclusive community approval process, the Lexington nonprofit LexSeeHer, Inc. and the Town of Lexington are extraordinarily proud to announce the public unveiling of the Commonwealth’s newest permanent monument to women.
When:
- Unveiling Ceremony: Wednesday, May 15 at 10:30 a.m., rain or shine.
- Dedication Day and Women’s Visibility Ceremony: Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m.
Where:
Lexington Visitors Center Lawn, 1875 Massachusetts Ave., in Lexington.
What:
During the May 15 event, a procession will leave Lexington Depot at 10 a.m., and arrive at the monument site on the Lexington Visitors Center Lawn for the 10:30 a.m. ceremony to unveil the town’s first monument to revolutionary women. The ceremony will feature speakers from LexSeeHer – the Lexington nonprofit that led the effort to build the monument – as well as local elected officials, sculptor Meredith Bergmann, a historian, and descendants of some of the 20 women depicted in the monument. There will also be musical performances, and a Governor’s Citation issued by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey will be announced.
The unveiling event will be followed by free guided tours of the monument for the public at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. beginning in the tents in front of the monument. In addition, there will be a Children’s Activities program in the tent in front of the monument, which will be open to the public from 3-4:30 p.m.
All seated tickets have been claimed. Limited standing room is available, on a first come, first served basis. Additional public events will take place throughout the spring and summer, including “First Look” events through May 19.
Visit lexseeher.com for more details.
On May 18 from 11-11:50 a.m. at the monument, LexSeeHer will present “Meet the Artist: Sculptor Meredith Bergmann” who will discuss her inspiration for “Something Is Being Done,” and how she created the elegant bronze sculpture that pays tribute to 20 revolutionary Lexington women and girls. This event is free and open to the public.
On May 18 at 2 p.m. at the monument, LexSeeHer will conduct a formal dedication of the monument, featuring descendants of some of the women depicted, sculptor Meredith Bergmann and dance and music; including Encore Dance Ensemble, Jayshree Bala Rajamani, Morris Dancers and more. Tickets may be reserved at lexseeher.com/FirstLook
On May 18 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the monument, LexSeeHer will hold a Bring-Your-Own (BYO) Dinner event under the tent. Open to the public, it is an opportunity to meet and greet the people behind the creation of “Something Is Being Done.”
Background:
Located across from the historic Lexington Battle Green, on the lawn in front of the Visitors Center on Massachusetts Avenue, the monument”Something Is Being Done” is the town’s first recognition of the bold women who shaped our nation’s Revolution and the intervening 250 years. It takes the form of a bronze arch that tells the stories of 20 important Lexington women of different races, ages and professions, from the 18th century forward, in intricate sculpted detail.
In a nation where fewer than 7% of public monuments include women, and even fewer include women of color, this made-in-Massachusetts monument is a major step forward. “Something Is Being Done” was created by acclaimed sculptor and Massachusetts resident Meredith Bergmann, whose public commissions include the Boston Women’s Memorial on Commonwealth Avenue (2003), the Women’s Rights Pioneers monument in New York City’s Central Park (2020) and the sculpted portrait of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the New York State Capitol (2023).
One of the women featured in the monument is Margaret Tulip, the first Lexington woman known to have sued for – and won – her freedom from enslavement in 1770. Astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, who discovered the composition of the sun, is also represented in the sculpture. As is Ruth Morey, the first woman to serve as a Lexington Select Board member.
The monument also depicts the unheralded “Mothers of the Revolution,” including Abigail Harrington and Phebe Banister Burdoo, as well as the author and abolitionist Eliza Follen, aviator Peggy Kimball, architects Jean Fletcher and Sarah Harkness, educator and musician Janet Haas, and many more Lexington women and girls who became leaders in the pursuit of liberty and equality.
The unveiling ceremony, which will be live-streamed on LexMedia.org, will feature a procession along Massachusetts Avenue, music, poetry and presentations by descendants of honorees, local volunteers and officials and the sculptor.
As America prepares to observe the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution next year, The Lex250 Commission looks forward to celebrating all figures of Lexington’s history, especially those who have been marginalized and left out of the narrative.
“Something Is Being Done” tells a more inclusive story about women in every era, and their economic, political, intellectual, social and cultural contributions will now be seen and celebrated. Governor Maura Healey has issued a Governor’s Citation on behalf of the residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts commending LexSeeHer, and welcoming “the dialogue that this monument inspires about what ‘liberty’ and ‘freedom’ have meant to women from the 18th century to the present.”
Several more public First Look events are scheduled to celebrate the monument in May. Additional events will be held at the site throughout the summer, including the Annual Spinning Tableau re-enactment on Aug. 31.
More details can be found at www.lexseeher.com.