The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Rochester has been awarded a Bank of America Art Conservation Project grant. This grant will support the conservation of a plaster statuette (statue) of a seated Susan B. Anthony by sculptor Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872-1955). This conservation project is one of a select group of 24 Art Conservation Projects announced this year by Bank of America – projects representing a diverse range of artistic styles, media and cultural traditions in 11 different countries.
Bessie Potter grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and attended the Art Institute of Chicago. She is one of the most recognized artists of her time, with works in many major museums throughout the United States and in Central Park, NYC. She married painter Robert William Vonnoh and the two moved to New York in 1899. She also created Burnette Fountain in Central Park.
The plaster statuette was part of a recent donation to the Anthony Museum from Mark and Patty Weidner in memory of Grace D. Anthony, great niece to Susan B. Anthony. The Weidners inherited this statuette that used to sit on Grace’s desk. Susan B. Anthony’s biography and diary confirm that she sat for the artist in the 1890s for this piece.
The conservation of this one-piece plaster statuette will be completed by the West Lake Art Conservation Center, formerly West Lake Conservators Ltd in Skaneateles, New York. The project will address areas of detached plaster all around the figure, especially in the neck, upper back, and the base.
“West Lake Art Conservation Center is proud to work on the plaster statuette of Susan B. Anthony, made by Bessie O. Potter in 1896, as it is both a technical challenge and a symbolic gesture,” said Chiara Kuhns, Senior Paintings Conservator, West Lake Art Conservation Center. “The statuette is cracked throughout, with detached pieces, which are in danger of further loss of original primary source if not treated. The statuette is also in need of an overall cleaning, which would, aesthetically, bring the work of art back to its original, intended state.”
“Susan B. Anthony’s remarkable life and achievements are a key part of Rochester’s history and the legacy of civil rights and women’s suffrage in the United States,” said Colleen Matteson, president, Bank of America Rochester. “Cultural institutions like the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House are integral to building understanding in our local communities, and beyond. We are thrilled that Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project will help support the restoration of Bessie Potter Vonnoh’s statue and allow museumgoers to experience this artifact from a crucial period in our history.”
The Bank of America Art Conservation Project (ACP) provides grants to nonprofit cultural institutions around the globe to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art. Since 2010, Bank of America’s ACP grant program has supported more than 260 projects across 40 countries to conserve paintings, sculptures, and archeological and architectural works. In partnership with Bank of America, the Anthony Museum will be able to make necessary repairs to the statuette to help ensure its longevity and continue Susan B. Anthony’s legacy.
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