Jean Pond Miner Coburn

Jean Pond Miner Coburn (1866–1967) was an American sculptor born in Menasha, Wisconsin. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with Lorado Taft, eventually becoming an assistant to him[1] and teaching at the Art Institute herself.[2]

Jean Pond Miner Coburn
Born	1866 Menasha, Wisconsin
Died	1967
Nationality	American
Education	Lorado Taft, Art Institute of Chicago
Known for	sculptor
Notable work	Forward, bronze statue in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol

Forward

Forward, 1996 casting of the 1893 statue

During the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition Miner and Helen Farnsworth Mears were named artists-in-residence at the Wisconsin Building. At that time Miner was commissioned to create a work of art representing the state. She created Forward; "Forward" is the motto of the state of Wisconsin. The statue was afterward purchased by women's suffrage organizations and "presented to the state of Wisconsin on behalf of the women's suffrage movement".[3]

For a century the statue, made out of copper, stood on the Capitol grounds, slowly deteriorating. In 1996 several women's groups and "women of Wisconsin" raised the funds to have the work cast in bronze. This bronze was placed on the Capitol grounds while the copper original was placed in the lobby of the Wisconsin Historical Society building.[4][1]

On June 23, 2020, Forward (the replica) was toppled by protesters following the arrest of a Black man.[5] The fall of the statue was characterized as a strategic political move by protester Micah Le.[6]

References

1. Rubenstein, Charlotte Streifer, American Women Sculptors: A History of Women Working in Three Dimensions, G. K. Hall and Co. Boston, 1990 p. 123
2. Petteys, Chris, Dictionary of Women Artists, G K Hill & Co. publishers, 1985
3. Gwyn, Guenther (2019-11-05). "2019 Capitol Ornament – Forward". The Wheeler Report #LocalGovMatters. p. Timestamp 16:00. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
4. Beajer and Style, Public Sculpture in Wisconsin: An Atlas of Outdoor Monuments, Memorials and Masterpieces in the Badger State, SOS! Wisconsin, Save Outdoor Sculpture and Fine Arts Conservation Services, Madison Wisconsin, 1999 p. 24
5. Spicuzza, Mary (June 24, 2020). "What to know about the Forward statue that was toppled during Madison protests". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. Meyerhofer, Kelly.'Strategic' or 'misguided'? Toppling of statues sparks latest debate on Madison protests Wisconsin State Journal, June 24, 2020.

Further reading

• "The Woman's Suffrage Movement [in Wisconsin]". Turning Points in Wisconsin History. Wisconsin Historical Society.