Would Vel Phillips be seated, or standing with her hand raised? Artist Radcliffe Bailey presented both designs for the Wisconsin State Capitol’s new sculpture of the attorney, civil rights crusader and first woman elected to Milwaukee’s Common Council. The decision would lie with the state task force that commissioned the sculpture to be installed in next year, the centennial of her birth and six years after her death at age 94. Task force member Michael Phillips, Vel’s son, initially preferred the standing option but wavered the more he thought about it. The seated option “was exactly who she was and exactly how she interacted,” he says.
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“In Western sculpture, leaders are often depicted on horses, above us, dominating us,” says Marilu Knode, the chair of the task force’s art team. “Seated, she’s elegant, poised, attentive and active. … It captures a new form of power, a new face of leadership.”
The piece is scheduled to be cast in bronze in the spring, with the task force still fundraising to reach its $560,000 goal. It was at 65% of that mark as of late May. It’s hoping to raise an additional $2 million to fund scholarships and community initiatives in Phillips’ name. “My mom broke through glass ceilings,” says Michael. “She’s emblematic of working with Republicans and Democrats for the good of every person in Wisconsin. … She represents folks from every stratum of society. She represents their better angels.”
Hear more about this story on Lake Effect on July 19.
