By Zillah Jamieson, Chair, Stirling District Tourism
LAST year The National Wallace Monument launched the Scotland’s Heroines project, designed to welcome the first female busts to its Hall of Heroes. Months of extensive research, thousands of votes cast from across the world and 200kg of jesmonite later, busts depicting Mary Slessor and Maggie Keswick Jencks will be unveiled later this week.
These two impressive women made significant contributions to Scottish history. Mary Slessor was a missionary from Dundee whose work in Nigeria benefited countless lives, including many children. Maggie Keswick Jencks founded the Maggie’s Centres which today provide support to thousands of cancer patients and their families in the UK and internationally.
In 2019, the busts will take up permanent residence in The National Wallace Monument’s Hall of Heroes. The gallery is home to busts of many famous and influential Scots; until now, none has been female. This striking absence is one that we have wanted to put right for some time, and it is a true joy to be welcoming the busts of Mary and Maggie to the Monument.
However, the lack of female sculptures and statues remains a concern throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK. You may have heard that only 174 of the 828 recorded public statues in the UK depict women – a disappointing statistic. Yet, it’s not just in physical spaces where women are underrepresented; the online sphere can also be cause for concern. Wikipedia, the world’s fifth most popular website, has hit the news in recent years when it was reported that only 17 per cent of the biographies on the site are for women. Despite numerous campaigns and special events to address this bias, there is, evidently, still a long way to go.
To some, these initiatives may seem trivial. What does it matter how many women are portrayed in works of art and culture? I would argue, however, that the issue goes deeper than depiction. It is the messages that we send – or don’t send – through these cultural homages that are the point of contention.
Tributes, like sculptures and busts, are the means of preserving the lessons, behaviours and legacies of those who have significantly impacted society. When we fail to commemorate women, our silence speaks volumes. We send the message that women’s contributions aren’t valued, aren’t significant – in short, that women can’t be heroes.
This is something that we can – and should – put right. We should make a point of representing more women in our public statues. I encourage other charities and historic visitor attractions to lead similar initiatives which recognise the contributions that women have made to their communities and beyond, and encourage public bodies to commission more works of art that commemorate them.
We know that there are so many amazing women whose stories deserve to be told. By failing to tell them, we risk giving an inaccurate account of our history, and we do everyone – women and men – a disservice in the process.
For The National Wallace Monument, welcoming the busts of Mary Slessor and Maggie Keswick Jencks is an important step in the right direction. Visitors from all over the world visit this historic site and they will take with them the stories of these great Scottish women. In years to come, we aim to honour the legacies of other important Scottish heroes and illustrate the impact that they have had on our history.
By introducing the first female busts to the Monument’s Hall of Heroes, it is our hope that our visitors, particularly children, will take away the message that women can be heroes too.
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