Margaret Fuller Statue Unveiling at Concord Free Public Library

A life-size bronze likeness of 19th-century literary figure and women’s rights advocate MARGARET FULLER HAS BEEN DONATED TO MASSACHUSETTS’ CONCORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY CORPORATION AND WILL SOON BE UNVEILED. The STATUE WAS MADE IN 1985 BY DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN SCULPTOR PENELOPE JENCKS, who is known for her PUBLIC WORKS THAT INCLUDE THE ELEANOR ROOSEVELT MONUMENT IN NEW YORK CITY.The Fuller statue was commissioned by planner and preservationist Ronald Lee Fleming, who had it displayed at his home in Cambridge, MA. He recently decided to donate it to the Concord Library. Penelope Jencks, reflecting on the genesis of the statue, had this to say, “I was introduced to Margaret Fuller by Ron Fleming back in 1985. He had seen a wonderful actress give a presentation of Margaret Fuller and fell in love with her. He asked me if I could make a sculpture of her by the end of May, and as it was already April, I said I would try but who knows!” After an intense two months of both reading about Fuller and working on the statue, Jencks finished the project on schedule. The nonprofit Concord Public Library Corporation owns and oversees the William Munroe Special Collections and is dedicated to developing, preserving, and widely sharing the historical documents, arts, and ephemera in the collection. Fleming’s recent decision to donate the statue has been met with delight and deep appreciation. According to Anke Voss, curator of the library’s William Munroe Special Collections, “Margaret Fuller was among the earliest and most influential champions of women’s rights in the United States, as well as a central figure in the Transcendentalist movement. We are deeply grateful for this generous donation and for the opportunity to honor her legacy here in Concord with this stunning sculpture by Penelope Jencks.” The statue is presently undergoing restoration by Skylight Studios in Woburn, MA, and once finished, it will be installed and displayed in the library’s Garden Retreat. The restoration is being funded by The Munroe Society of the Library Corporation—an affinity group dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the William Munroe Special Collections. The news of the acquisition and imminent unveiling, shared privately among some 19th-century literary scholars, has generated a great deal of excitement. Megan Marshall, Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar and author of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life, writes, “Penelope Jencks’s Margaret Fuller embodies the determination, intellectuality, and boldness of spirit we know, from her writing and from her friends’ testimony, the flesh-and-blood woman possessed in such great measure. It’s fitting that Margaret Fuller will be situated just outside the library that Emerson helped to start. I’m thrilled that this beautiful work will be in public view at last!” The Concord Free Public Library has scheduled the unveiling for Saturday, May 23, at 2:00 pm. Speakers include Penelope Jencks, Ronald Lee Fleming, and Megan Marshall.