Woman’s Club Steps Forward to Save Community’s Sculptural Legacy
by Barbara Laine
In June 2002, the Danbury/New Fairfield Woman’s Club was looking for a project that would have meaning for our community. A consensus was that Danbury, New Fairfield, and the neighboring towns are rich in historical and sculptural art. We felt that if we made the communities aware of these riches, we could subsequently work toward the conservation and preservation of those sculptures, which grace our city and neighboring communities.
Young Abe Lincoln on Horseback by Anna
Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) in Bethel,
Connecticut.
We became aware of General Federation of Women’s Clubs involvement with the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project, a partnership of over 10 years, and researched what has been accomplished by other Women’s Clubs in Connecticut (such as The Southington Woman’s Club). A group of members took a field trip to Hartford to see a traveling exhibit, which highlighted and described preservation efforts by towns and cities around the United States. Some of us also attended a lecture about Anna Hyatt Huntington, a prolific sculptor from the Bethel/Redding area, whose legacy is found in several nearby communities.
Sixteen members of the Danbury/NF Woman's Club met with members of the Bethel CT Women’s Club and the Newtown CT Woman’s Club, and all agreed that our plan to develop and design a pamphlet of a sculpture trail was a worthy one. All three clubs signed on members who researched and photographed most of the local sculpture and monuments. It was truly wonderful to work with the individuals of other clubs who cooperated with our Danbury/New Fairfield group. Their reports, which describe and relate the history and condition of their local sculptures, are fascinating. We certainly hope to sustain and reinforce our connections with these women as we continue with this project.
The obstacles we have encountered are ones of historical omission. It has been difficult to track down information, such as the actual sculptor, and sometimes, to find a missing piece of sculpture that may have been moved or has vanished altogether. We are still researching some of this information.
The Don't Walk On By sculpture album was completed in 2004. It contains 60 photographs describing sculpture and monuments that have been found, researched, and photographed in five local Connecticut towns (Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield, Redding and Newtown). The albums have been sold or distributed to Historical Societies, libraries, Women's Clubs, and individuals.
Detail of Young Abe Lincoln on Horseback.
With the proceeds from the sale of the Don't Walk on By albums and a $100 grant from Shell Oil Co., the Danbury/New Fairfield Woman's Club Community Improvement Program Chairman, Barbara Laine, and Graphic Designer Truus Teeuwissen developed and designed a perpetual calendar with 12 of the sculptures featured.
In creating the calendar, we identified two bronze sculptures in need of conservaton treatment: a sculpture in front of the Danbury Superior Court Building, The Danbury Family by Penelope Jenckes (1936-present), and Young Abe Lincoln on Horseback by Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) in Bethel.
The calendars are for sale at $10 each from WCDNF, P.O. Box 4483, Danbury CT, or e-mail www.wcdnf.com. With the income from the sale of these calendars, the Woman's Club hopes to conserve and maintain one of the sculptures in the area.