No one told her to take the bull by the horns but that is exactly what Fearless Girl has done. On March 7th the bronze statue Fearless Girl faced off against Wall Street’s mascot Charging Bull and the battle has yet to cease. The project was funded by State Street Global Investors to encourage female leadership in businesses for International Women’s Day and was executed by art director Lizzie Wilson and copywriter Tali Gumbiner. (Fearless Girl Video)
Lizzie Wilson graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before becoming senior art director at McCann Erickson advertising agency. She has worked on several successful ads for companies like Jose Cuervo, Godiva, and USPS incorporating videos, graphic designs, and photos into the mix. Fearless Girl was unlike any of her previous work - it is actually tangible. While Wilson was paid for her work, she was rewarded by adding this to her portfolio of works that “do good in the world."
State Street Global Investors did not request a statue or any prior vision, only an advertisement. Wilson was happy about this for she and Gumbiner “like the unconventional and people have preconceived notions about what advertising is.” When the two were brainstorming what kind of advertisement to do, they wanted not only to advocate for women but to change the way that people thought about their client. They brainstormed about Wall Street and how it has always been male dominated and in a moment of insight they thought of Charging Bull. Together they decided that statue here would be the ultimate advertisement.
The two women collaborated on the concept for the piece and they had in fact worked together before on Godiva and two other projects. This was helpful since they knew how each other worked; Gumbiner recognizes that “Lizzie is measured and thoughtful; she takes a step back to really observe the world and expresses herself through these visual observations”, while she is more talented with the language of the advertisements. Their respective talents were necessary to complete the piece, with Wilson’s task was the more creative half.
Wilson worked directly with the head sculptor, Kristen Visbal, to create the girl. A girl was chosen because “in a little girl you can see your past, your self, your future”. She voiced that children are more inspiring and offer more hope than grown women. The girl’s pose was inspired by a Ted Talk that Wilson had watched about the power of posture. She wanted the girl to be strong and defiant without being antagonistic. Wilson worked with the sculptor on how the mood of the girl would be presented specifically through her ponytail, which now presents the girl as focused and dynamic.
Since Charging Bull is made of bronze, Fearless Girl was also chosen to be done in bronze. Wilson was aware that bronze sculptures can take a year to make and they only had several months, but she was determined to make it happen by having her staff work night and day. If while being cast a piece of the metal broke there would be no hope in finishing the project. Luckily, this only happened in an earlier stage. This displays how Wilson is passionate yet objective, curious yet disciplined, and understands culture and rebellion, all of which are juxtaposed personality traits of the creative.
Wilson’s piece is extremely original and creative. Adding another sculpture to another sculpture had not been done and sculpture for advertising is also not mainstream. She worked through all of the details that have made Fearless Girl a piece that will stick.
I remember back when the statue of the Fearless Girl defiantly staring down the Wall Street bull shattered headlines. This simple yet iconic monument, though not permanent, left a lasting impression on the millions of people who witnessed it, whether in person or online. What is often ignored however is the creative behind such monumental works. It is easy to get swept away by the awesomeness of the statue while not acknowledging who thought of such a brilliant idea. Awesome blog!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the message that this statue sends. I also think its very interesting it is meant to depict a latina girl, which I think is awesome because women of color are even more underrepresented on wall street than white women are. According to the New York Times "Fewer large companies are run by women than by men named John, a sure indicator that the glass ceiling remains firmly in place in corporate America." Women are obviously not less capable than men, but societal expectations and standards hold them back. I think pieces like this mean one step forward for involving more women in the business world.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I loved the idea of the statue when I first heard about it back in the spring and whenever it comes to my mind it always makes me so happy. I think the story of the artists' collaboration was very interesting also, showing how two people can really create something big when working off of one another. The idea to add a statue on to an existing one is a really cool thought, and they executed it so well.
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