Where Are the Women?
A Utah sculpture company asked a powerful question: why do public monuments honor so few women? The answer became a campaign to shape women’s history through sculpture, education and representation.
Public monuments do more than decorate civic spaces. They reveal who a culture chooses to remember, whose achievements are made visible and which stories are passed to future generations.
A Family Business Notices an Empty Pedestal
Evi Karpos grew up around clay, plaster, molds and small historical sculptures in her family’s Utah studio. Statues.com, operating through MarbleCast Products, produced figurines of well-known historical figures for museum gift shops.
Over time, Evi began to notice an imbalance. Many of the figures represented in bronze and sculpture were men. Women whose achievements had influenced politics, civil rights, education, science and social reform were far less visible.
Victoria Karpos shared the same concern. Together, mother and daughter began researching influential women and considering how sculpture could help bring their stories into homes, museums, schools and public places.
Seeing the Imbalance
The campaign began with a simple observation: women had made extraordinary contributions to American history, but those contributions were rarely reflected in sculpture.
Finding the Stories
Victoria and Evi researched women whose achievements had influenced abolition, suffrage, civil rights, public service, education, science and entrepreneurship.
Turning History Into Sculpture
The concept was to develop a collection of sculptural portraits that museums and educators could use to present a more representative view of history.
Encouraging Public Monuments
The effort extended beyond small sculptures. It also called on cities and states to commission more public monuments honoring women.
The question was not whether women had shaped history. The question was why their stories were still missing from so many pedestals, museums and civic spaces.
Where Are the Women? Campaign ThemePutting More Women on a Pedestal
KUTV reported that Victoria and Evi wanted to manufacture more statues of women and encourage municipalities to place more women’s monuments in public settings. The television story introduced the project as both a business initiative and a cultural mission.
The proposed collection focused on women whose lives reflected courage, persistence and meaningful public achievement. Early examples included Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
The initiative was presented publicly as “Where Are the Women? Shaping Women’s History Through Sculpture.” A fundraising campaign was organized to support the production of sculptures representing 20 influential women.
Historical Figures Worthy of Greater Recognition
Ida B. Wells
Investigative journalist, educator and civil rights leader whose anti-lynching work exposed racial violence and challenged injustice through evidence and public advocacy.
Susan B. Anthony
A nationally recognized advocate for women’s voting rights whose organizing and public speaking helped shape the American suffrage movement.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Writer, organizer and women’s rights advocate associated with the Seneca Falls Convention and the long campaign for legal and political equality.
Public Sculpture Shapes Cultural Memory
A public statue is not only an object. It is a declaration that a person, event or idea deserves to remain visible. Monuments influence how communities understand their own history and which individuals become familiar to future generations.
When women are absent from public sculpture, the historical landscape becomes incomplete. Their achievements may be taught in books, but they are less frequently encountered in parks, plazas, campuses, government buildings and civic memorials.
Increasing the representation of women in sculpture is therefore not simply an artistic goal. It is part of a larger effort to create a more accurate, inclusive and educational public record.
From Observation to Public Initiative
Growing Up Around Sculpture
Evi Karpos experienced sculpture as part of everyday family life through the company’s work with museum gift shops and historical figures.
Noticing Who Was Missing
The family recognized that the majority of historical figures represented in their category were men.
Identifying Influential Women
Research expanded the list of women whose achievements could be interpreted through sculpture and educational products.
Launching the Campaign
“Where Are the Women? Shaping Women’s History Through Sculpture” was introduced publicly alongside a fundraising effort to begin producing a collection.
More Women in Public Places
The broader goal was to encourage museums, cities and states to commission more sculpture honoring women.
Creating a Monument Honoring a Woman in History
A successful commemorative sculpture should begin with verified historical research and a clear understanding of why the subject matters to the commissioning community. The design should reflect both physical likeness and historical significance.
Key Factors for a Women’s History Monument
| Factor | What to Evaluate |
|---|---|
| Subject | Historical importance, community connection, available documentation and educational relevance |
| Research | Archival images, verified biography, clothing, symbolic objects, written sources and historical advisers |
| Design | Pose, facial expression, age, scale, pedestal, inscriptions and surrounding landscape |
| Material | Outdoor durability, appearance, maintenance, budget, fabrication method and intended lifespan |
| Approvals | Client review, public agency requirements, stakeholder input, engineering and site authorization |
| Stewardship | Ownership, conservation, educational interpretation, documentation and long-term maintenance |
Women’s History and Commemorative Sculpture
Why are monuments of women important?
How does a women’s history sculpture project begin?
Can a historical woman be sculpted from photographs?
What material is best for a permanent outdoor monument?
What should be documented after installation?
Shaping History Through Sculpture
Statues.com draws on more than 30 years of experience creating custom sculptures, portrait statues, busts, historical figures, museum reproductions and public monuments. The company’s work connects artistic craftsmanship with education, commemoration and the preservation of meaningful stories.