Savannah Women of Vision

The Savannah Women of Vision investiture, created by Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) President and Founder Paula Wallace, commemorates women of notable altruistic and intellectual achievement from Savannah, Georgia.[1] The first induction was in 2016 at SCAD Arnold Hall, and has continued biennially.

About the investiture

The origins of the Savannah Women of Vision investiture can be traced to the proscenium in the university's historic Arnold Hall, anchored by a New Deal-era mural that depicts Savannah's historical leaders: Button Gwinnett, Nathanael Greene, George Whitefield, and Casimir Pulaski, among others. Wallace noticed the omission of women in this visual depiction of the notable citizens of Savannah. As Wallace explains, "Savannah as we know it rests on the triumphs of its women — mothers, entrepreneurs, authors, patriots, philanthropists. I created the Savannah Women of Vision investiture to illuminate trailblazers and their transcendent work, keeping their names and deeds not only in our hearts but publicly acclaimed. These are our heroines."[citation needed]

Inductees

Savannah Women of Vision[2]
Name Image Birth–Death Year Area of achievement Ref(s)
Sarah Mills Hodge (1875–1962) 2022 aka Sarah Wilson Hodge - Community service [3][4]
Linda J. Evans 2022 Established the first Medical and Natural Sciences Career Academy for high school students in the Southfield Public Schools system [3]
Gale Singer 2022 Founder and president of Circa Lighting [3]
Joyce M. Roche (1947–) 2022 Former President/CEO, Girls Inc [3]
Clermont Huger Lee (1914–2006) 2020 Landscape Architect
Suzanne Shank (1952–) 2020 Entrepreneur, Investment Banker
Miriam Center (1926–) 2018 Real Estate Agent, Civil Leader
Edna Jackson (1944–) 2018 Two Term Mayor of Savannah
Mary Lane Morrison (1907–1994) 2018 Archivist
Fredericka Washington (1903–1994) 2018 Actress, Civil Rights Leader
Sema Wilkes (1907–2002) 2018 Restaurateur
Emma Morel Adler (1930–2020)[5] 2016 Civil Leader
Mother Mathilda Beasley (1832–1903) 2016 Georgia's first African-American nun
Mary Musgrove Matthews Bosomworth (ca. 1700–ca. 1765) 2016 pivotal interpreter, negotiator, and cultural liaison between the English colonists and the local indigenous Americans
Alice Andrews Jepson (1942–) 2016 Civic Leader
Nancy N. Lewis (1927–2019) 2016 Civic Leader
Juliette Gordon Low (1860–1927) 2016 Founder of Girl Scouts of the USA
Abigail Minis (1701–1794) 2016 mother of Savannah's Jewish community
Flannery O'Connor (1925–1964) 2016 Author
Leah Ward Sears (1955–) 2016 Former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia
Frances Wong (1940–2010) 2016 Educator

About the reliefs

To commemorate the Savannah Women of Vision and their impact on the community, SCAD commissioned alumnus Michael Porten to create large relief portraits of the honorees. Although the portraits are executed in classic bas-relief — a style of portraiture perfected by the ancient Greeks — Porten uses advanced tools and software to render each woman's visage in sculpture, infusing a classic medium with modern technology. The gilded finish holds meaning, as gold traditionally represents generosity and compassion.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Women of Vision Overview". www.SCAD.edu. SCAD. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Women of Vision". www.scad.edu/. SCAD. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Women of Vision - The relief portraits". SCAD.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  4. ^ "If We Forget, Who Will Remember?". savannahherald.net.
  5. ^ "Emma Morel Adler Obituary (2020) Savannah Morning News". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  6. ^ "ABOUT THE ARTIST". SCAD. Retrieved 16 February 2020.