The Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Oversight Committee announced today that it has narrowed down its selection to five sculptors as part of the Request for Qualifications/Proposal process publicly announced on September 18 with a deadline to submit by November 4. The five finalists include Jane DeDecker from Colorado, Edward J. Fraughton from Utah, Ben Hammond from Utah, Dora Natella from Indiana and Dennis Smith from Utah.
Finalist interviews by the Martha Hughes Cannon Oversight Committee will take place between February 4 and 6. The final artist selected to create the Martha Hughes Cannon sculpture will be announced on February 14, 2019, the same day Utah will be celebrating the anniversary of the first vote cast.
“The Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Selection Committee was so pleased by the interest in this commission,” said Jen Christensen, the chair of the Martha Hughes Cannon Oversight Committee. “The five selected finalists represent a diverse group of exceptionally qualified artists. We are looking forward to meeting each sculptor and seeing their maquette concepts for this remarkable woman in early February.”
Utah women were the first to vote in the modern nation on February 14, 1870 and the Martha Hughes Cannon statue will arrive in Washington, D.C. in 2020 as a symbol of Utah’s role in the national suffrage movement and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. For more information, visit www.sendmartha.com.
A leader in the Utah Women's Suffrage Association, Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon testified before U.S. congressional committees and was a featured speaker at national suffrage conventions. “As the first female state senator in the United States, Martha Hughes Cannon deserves to be recognized for providing the foundation for many subsequent impactful women in American politics,” said Utah State Senator Deidre Henderson. “We all stand on the shoulders of women like Martha Hughes Cannon and look forward to having her statue placed in National Statuary Hall for onlookers to revere.”
ABOUT MARTHA HUGHES CANNON STATUE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
The Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Oversight Committee was chartered and commissioned by the Utah Legislature to oversee the creation and placement of a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. To learn more, visit www.sendmartha.com.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jen Christensen, MHC Statue Committee
801.560.4059
[email protected]