Shirley Chisholm Gets A New 'Do In BK Monument Redesign

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, NY — An excited Brooklyn audience weighed in on a new mock-up of the much-anticipated monument planned for Prospect Park to honor "trailblazer" and Brooklyn warrior Shirley Chisholm.

The monument holds heavy significance for the local community that Chisholm represented in the New York State Assembly and U.S. Congress. And on Tuesday, dozens of locals "oooed" and "aaahed" at new renderings of the 32-foot monument that will live at the Parkside entrance of Brooklyn's Backyard.

City officials detailed edits made since the first draft, which was revealed in 2019.

Originally designed at 40 feet tall, the monument is now designed to be 32 feet tall to fit in the with the nearby trees, said Kendal Henry of the city's Department of Cultural Affairs.

The yellowish gold and green sculpture will likely be made of painted steel and patinated bronze, and it will look different from every angle, at once depicting a well-known photo of Chisholm in a printed blouse and the outline of the Capital building.

Feedback on the initial mockup led artists to change Chisholm's hair, Henry said. At first solid yellow with green outlining, Chishom's hair is now filled in green with more texture depicted.

"Her hairstyle — it looked like the Ronald McDonald's hairstyle from across the street," Henry said. "So we paid attention to that."

The base of the sculpture will still depict the U.S. House floor, highlighting where Chisholm would have sat representing central Brooklyn as the first Black woman in Congress.

Revised plans have the House floor flush to the ground, rather than sunken, to avoid water buildup and debris.

The sculpture was also adjusted to meet safety concerns. Large gaps where a kid might get an arm stuck have been removed, as has a fence that could have invited bike locks. An opening at the base was heightened to facilitate walking through the design and discourage damage or climbing.

With a 10-foot arch built into the monument, Chisholm will offer a gateway into the park, Henry said.

The sculpture will be complimented with improvements to the Parkside entrance, including new trees and a new welcome center to educate park-goers on Chisholm's legacy, Council Member Rita Joseph announced Tuesday.

Authorities in 2019 announced the entrance would see a new protected bike lane that wraps around the monument rather than cutting through the plaza, parallel to Parkside Avenue.

Artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan Jeyifous, whose design was chosen in 2019, were intent on creating a community space to reflect Chisholm's ability to include others in the civic process.

"We've done a number of public works, but nothing as ambitious as this," Williams told Community Board 14 in May. "We really took it as an opportunity to think about the way Shirley Chisholm brought people together and we really wanted to expand access for the every day resident to be part of the civic process."

As such, locals emphasized the importance of maintenance and proper trash collection around the sculpture. The Prospect Park Alliance will be in charge of maintenance, and materials were specifically chosen for ware, Henry said.

Chisholm is known for being the first Black woman in Congress and the first woman and Black major-party candidate to run for president.

But many attendees Tuesday emphasized that Chisholm's legacy goes far beyond these "firsts." The audience mulled how to include her commitment to education and game-changing food stamp legislation, and how to properly depict her affect.

"We took the brief to heart, which asked us to reimagine how women might be represented in the 21st century after having not been really represented at all," Williams said.

And Chisholm would have been proud, said Joyce Bolden, who considered Chisholm a mentor and worked under her in multiple roles.

"She would love to be here now to see what's gone on," Bolden told a crowd. "I thank God I'm here to talk about it for her."

The monument is still months away from the formal design approval required before construction — which then would add many more months to the timeline, Henry said.

The city's Public Design Commission will discuss the monument at an upcoming meeting on Monday, but design approval was not expected so soon, Henry said.

"This is phenomenal for so many reasons," said New York State Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman, who spoke at Tuesday's meeting along with Joseph and Assembly Members Brian Cunningham and Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.

"Our children get to pass by this monument every day and see this amazing woman."