Portrait of A Phenomenal Woman: A Monument to Honor Dr. Maya Angelou for the San Francisco Main Library

*Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman*, 2024. San Francisco Main Library, San Francisco, CA

In 2018, the city of San Francisco passed legislation to increase the representation of women in the public realm to 30 percent - through the erection of monuments, public art, and renaming city streets and buildings. At that time, there were only two monuments dedicated to women out of almost 90 monuments in the city. As part of the endeavor to rectify that gender disparity, San Francisco named a woman of color, Dr. Maya Angelou, to be honored with the first sculpture. Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman: A Monument to Honor Dr. Maya Angelou for the San Francisco Main Library now stands at the Main Library’s Larkin Street entrance.

Lava Thomas Studio Team: Shelly Willis, Project Manager; Iris Moore, Studio Manager; danielle nanos-luz, Research Assistant; Mary Graham, Studio Assistant; Connie Lee, Studio Assistant; Kennedy Morgan, Studio Assistant. Jackie Von Treskow, Senior Project Manager, San Francisco Arts Commission. 2D Digital Imaging: Magnolia Editions, Oakland, CA. 3D Digital Imaging and Bronze Fabrication: Walla Walla Foundry, Walla Walla, WA. Stone Fabrication: American Soil & Stone, Richmond, CA. Installation: Atthowe Fine Art Services, Oakland, CA.

RESEARCH & Inspiration

Author, poet, activist, humanitarian, feminist, performer, and so much more, Dr. Maya Angelou’s extraordinary, life, works, and legacy are commemorated in the monument, Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman.

The process of creating a monument to honor Dr. Angelou began with research: immersion in Dr. Angelou’s works, interviews, performances, and reading works by other Black women writers and scholars to provide a broader context in which to think about her life and work. This phase was fluid and intuitive while information is gathered and thoughts and ideas become more cohesive.

SELECTED WORKS FROM DR. ANGELOU’S ART Collection

Studying selected works from Dr. Angelou’s eclectic art collection provided insight into her aesthetic sensibilities. Works by Elizabeth Catlett featured prominently, and I‘ve long admired Catlett’s ability to marry technical virtuosity with social content, and her portrayals of black women that convey dignity, compassion, vulnerability, and determination. Faith Ringgold’s Maya’s Quilt of Life from 1989, which was commissioned by Oprah Winfrey for Dr. Angelou’s 61st birthday was also an inspiration.

Select works by Elizabeth Catlett.

*Maya’s Quilt of Life,* (1989). Faith Ringgold. Acrylic on canvas and printed, dyed and pieced fabric. 73 x 73 in.

Edo peoples, Single-figure plaque, mid 16th to 17th Century. Cast copper alloy. Dallas Museum of Art.

*Invisible Man: A Memorial to Ralph Ellison,* (2003). Elizabeth Catlett. 2003. Riverside Park, Manhattan, NY.

Bronze has long been the material of choice for commemorative monuments, for its association with conquest, grandeur, magnificence and permanence. However, the choice for bronze for Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman was inspired by the Benin Bronzes of West Africa, created by the Edo peoples, whose indigenous metallurgy technologies date back to the 13th century; as well as Elizabeth Catlett’s Invisible Man: Memorial to Ralph Ellison, 2003, a bronze monolith that stands in Harlem.

DESIGN

EARLY SKETCHES

Dr. Angelou once said “I am a writer, and a writer is his or her books”. The book form underscores Dr. Angelou’s impact on the literary cannon and the importance of libraries in Dr. Angelou’s life.

Choosing the portrait - Video stills from 1973 interview with Bill Moyers

Based on stills from the author’s 1973 interview with Bill Moyers, the portrait was created using a combination of manual and digital drawing techniques. By 1973, Maya Angelou had achieved international recognition as an author, (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969) film director, (Georgia, Georgia, 1972) activist (coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and friend of Malcolm X) and humanitarian. A true cosmopolitan, she spoke several languages, lived in several countries in Africa and Europe, traveled extensively, and performed on stages around the world.

When asked by Bill Moyers how she was able to achieve her sense of personal freedom, she answered: “At some point you realize that you are only free when belong no place, you belong to everyplace.” When asked if she belonged to anyone, she answered, ”I belong to myself,” a powerful declaration of self-sovereignty. Untethered to a specific geography or era, the portrait transcends the decade from which it is based and projects a timeless presence Into the future.

Portrait DEVELOPMENT

DIGITAL IMAGING - MAGNOLIA EDITIONS

Digital editing at Magnolia Editions Printmaking, Oakland, CA.

FULL SCALE PRINT

Foamcore model POSITIONED at site in front of the SF Main Library

DIGITAL RENDERING – WALLA WALLA FOUNDRY

Fabricated in bronze and measuring a total height of 9 feet tall, the monument is in the form of a standing book. A portrait of Dr. Angelou– translated from an original drawing in shallow relief– appears on the book’s cover, with her name in bold letters on its spine. The monument’s book form– a symbolic repository of her life and works– conceptually and physically ties the monument to it’s site, while the scale emphasizes the vital importance of the library and reading throughout the course of Dr. Angelou’s life: from the young girl who found refuge in books and libraries to overcome childhood trauma and mutism, her life-long commitment to knowledge and self education, her time in the Harlem Writers Guild as a fledgling young writer, and on to become a celebrated literary giant. The scale also speaks to Dr. Angelou’s towering presence (in life she stood 6 feet tall) her expansive spirit, and her generosity. The monument’s clean lines, devoid of embellishment, are in harmony with the surrounding built environment, and reflect Dr. Angelou’s belief that, “the epitome of sophistication is utter simplicity.”

Digital rendering, 2023.

Two dimensional DIGITAL IMAGE imported into 3D modeling software – Walla Walla Foundry

Fabrication – walla walla foundry

BRONZE SAMPLES

Final Specs

CASTING PARTS OF THE MONUMENT

Cast bronze pieces welded together like a puzzle.

SEEING THE ASSEMBLED MONUMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME

Circling areas that need additional work

PREPPING FOR PATINA APPLICATION

Patina

Patina applied and carefully sanded back with hand tools.

The portrait emerges

Base fabrication AND ENGRAVING – American Soil & Stone

The base of the monument is made from basalt stone, which is formed from cooled, molten lava and is the most plentiful stone on the planet. Engraved on the monument’s base is the title of Dr. Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise”, which is a lasting declaration of resilience, perseverance, and triumph in the face of adversity.

Left to right: Jim Spahr (American Soil and Stone), Shelly Willis (Project Manager, Lava Thomas Studio), Jackie Von Treskow ( Senior Project Manager, SFAC), Lava Thomas (Artist), Alexander Jackson (Atthowe Fine Art Services)