“… the United States has been such a leader in the world in giving and in supporting research and in the arts and culture. And I think we're seeing such a reduction and a contraction in that all of these things cause our allies and our friends and our partners and our neighbors throughout the world to be concerned.” — Amanda Matthews
The Eyes of the World on “The Girl Puzzle”
Amanda Matthews' "Girl Puzzle" monument on Roosevelt Island, NYC (Photo by Irina Hague)
Amanda Matthews is a writer, public speaker, filmmaker, and CEO of Prometheus Art, a Design/Build Firm in Lexington. Her work includes "The Girl Puzzle" Monument on Roosevelt Island in New York City. "The Girl Puzzle" honors journalist, women’s rights advocate, suffragist, World War 1 correspondent, inventor/patent holder, industrialist, and humanitarian, Nellie Bly. In early March, the monument was the setting when Amanda was back in New York speaking before the United Nations Circle of Women Ambassadors. And that's the focus of a conversation with Tom Martin on WEKU's Eastern Standard.
Tom: Welcome, Amanda.
Amanda: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Tom: So, first of all, tell us about your time at the UN. What was the occasion?
Amanda: The occasion was the launch of the 69th United Nations Session of the Commission on the Status of Women but also the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is about women's rights as well.
Tom: I mentioned Nellie Bly, and of course, that's what your monument is about. What should everyone know about Nellie Bly?
Amanda: Well, let me say this first. The monument is honoring Nellie Bly who transcended her place in history for sure. I mean, you just mentioned all of the titles that belong to her, right? Also, world record breaker. She was the first woman to circumnavigate the Earth alone. So she has many titles. And the monument honors the fact that she transcended her place in history and advocated for so many marginalized people, in particular women and girls.
Something that I want people to know about the monument is there are five giant faces of different diverse women and girls, and four of those are fellow Kentuckians, because Nellie Bly's words that she wrote passionately while she was incarcerated on that island, her descriptions of the women that she was in the asylum with reminded me of people that I know, and I could just see their faces in her descriptions. So as far as a local connection, that is certainly something I want the listeners to know.
Nellie Bly (Library of Congress)
Tom: In mid-February, prior to your appearance at the UN event in New York, the Trump administration had warned the United Nations organizations UNICEF and UN Women against any focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and gender ideology, and the National Endowment for the Arts is eliminating the grant program Challenge America. That one supports diversity, equity and inclusion in underserved communities. Applicants for all remaining NEA grants now must follow guidelines stating that they will not operate any programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion that violate any applicable federal anti-discrimination laws or use federal funds to promote gender ideology. Central to your work, Amanda, are gender, equality, fairness, human rights, community, accessibility. So maybe we could ask you to channel Nellie Bly here and tell us what her response to that would be.
Amanda: I think Nellie Bly's response to that would be exactly the same as Nellie Bly's response to that 140 years ago. Nellie Bly was a firebrand. She suffered losses and injustices in her own life. And I think because of that, it encouraged her empathy for others. And, you know, when you get to the point where you've lost just about everything, you lose your inhibitions as well. And I think she found her voice, she found her power, and she thought she could do something to benefit others by using her voice and her power.
So as I was researching Nellie Bly, I was so inspired by her work but not just her writing. I was so inspired by her actions that I felt called to continue her great work in some way through this monument. And that is why you see these giant faces of marginalized women and girls in the monument because they may have been faces of those who she advocated for then, and I think she would be faces of those she would advocate for now.
Tom: What was the connection between your installation on Roosevelt Island and this United Nations event that you spoke for?
Amanda: So the United Nations event was for the launch of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. And the connection, as I understand it, is the ambassador from Switzerland once lived on Roosevelt Island. So she has a very strong connection.
When I received the invitation to come speak, and I didn't speak to the Council on Women, the invitation went out to ambassadors and dignitaries and ministers and delegates of all 193 member nations. So there were dozens and dozens of representatives from member nations in attendance.
But when I received the invitation to speak, it was explained to me that they wanted me to speak because this monument embodies what they stand for, for the United Nations women and United Nations girls. And so I think it spoke to them in a way that art does speak. I think art and artists are incredible messengers of not only who we are as communities but who we should be.
Tom: At the time of the event, when you were in New York, the world was beginning to realize what was happening here in the United States, and many allies were putting us at arm's length. When you were there among people from all over the world, did you get a sense of this? Were there any comments about what's happening here in this country?
Amanda: Yes, unfortunately, I did. I think it's probably important to note that I believe I was the only American in attendance other than my family who actually walked with us to the monument. So I was invited to attend the closed diplomatic meeting that occurred just prior to the walk or march to the monument. And I gave my presentation publicly in front of the monument, which, by the way, is one of the world's largest monuments honoring diverse women.
So as the only American who was there, I felt this incredible obligation to try to represent us in the best light possible. But there were concerns and fears and nervousness, because in many ways, the United States has been such a leader in the world in giving and in supporting research and in the arts and culture. And I think we're seeing such a reduction and a contraction in that all of these things cause our allies and our friends and our partners and our neighbors throughout the world to be concerned.
Sculptor Amanda Matthews speaking at site of The Girl Puzzle monument on Roosevelt Island, NYC (Photo provided)
Tom: I haven't visited The Girl Puzzle - yet, and I intend to next time I'm in New York, but I certainly have seen plenty of photographs and it's really impressive. As a videographer, you know that since we're radio, we're at a disadvantage here. So I wonder if for our listeners, if you could just give them a mind's eye description of what they would find if they went out on Roosevelt Island.
Amanda: Well, as you approach the monument, you see the faces. And as you continue to walk toward them, because New York City is a pretty big place, as you continue to walk toward them, they just continue to get bigger and bigger and bigger. They are very much on a monumental scale. But you see the faces of my friends and family members who I saw in Nellie Bly's work including an older queer woman, which happens to be my oldest daughter, aged forward 50 years, showing the hopeful long trajectory of her life. And then you see one of my great friends who's a Black American woman who has dedicated her life to serving others.
And you see a Japanese American woman who is a friend of mine who'd recently passed, who was interned at Rohwer, the concentration camp, in 1942, under the executive order of President Roosevelt at the time. And so her face is actually facing the south side of the island, which is where Four Freedoms Park is located, where there is an equal sized bronze head of President Roosevelt. And I have her facing him to show that they were unequal in their power, but they are equal in their humanity.
And then finally, you see a young girl, which is representative of my other child, who is also a member of the queer community. And that child represents a bold story that Nellie Bly told about a young girl that had been institutionalized for four years. But she came to Nellie Bly every morning and she said, "I dreamed of my mother last night. I think she may come today and take me home." We have to have more people like Nellie Bly who are willing to feel the empathy for one young child, who are willing to say, this is a good place for believers in women's rights.
