The Sandy Anghie-backed project is set to be installed more than two years on from its approval.
A date has been set to unveil a statue of women’s rights activist Edith Cowan on St Georges Terrace, more than two years after the bronze sculpture was approved.
The statue – proposed by architect and former City of Perth councillor Sandy Anghie in 2022 – will be revealed in June outside Anzac House after it was completed this month.
Designed to stand about two metres tall and weigh 300 to 400 kilograms, the sculpture has been backed by big names, including former premier Mark McGowan, former governor Kim Beazley, Edith Cowan University and the activist’s family.
Edith Cowan was the first woman elected to Australian parliament and has remained one of the faces on the $50 note for 30 years.
Ms Anghie said the sculpture, funded by her and her husband Michael Anghie, was not only to recognise the “remarkable” figure, but also to increase the number of statues of women in the city.
“With the growing call from the community, I felt it was time to take action, to not only celebrate Edith Cowan with an enduring visual reminder, but to start addressing the gender imbalance in our city’s statues,” she said.
“When you look around our city, it’s clear more needs to be done to publicly recognise the significant achievements of Western Australian women.”
Gidgegannup sculptors Charles Smith and Joan Walsh-Smith, behind the existing Fanny Balbuk statue at Government House, created the Edith Cowan statue.
The Smith Sculptors duo is naming the project ‘A Moment in Time’ as they aim for it to work in conjunction with their piece across the road.
The location of the statue is linked to Edith Cowan’s history as Karakatta Club’s founding secretary, which now resides in Anzac House.
The statue will include a QR code on its plaque to inform the city’s visitors of Edith Cowan’s decorated contributions to Australian society.
According to the application, the project’s budget was $245,000.
Town planners Element Advisory, and architect Kym MacCormac provided pro bono work for the statue.
Subject to final installation approvals, the sculpture is set to be unveiled on June 12.
It should arrive in time for a theatrical performance on the activist by Perth Symphony Orchestra in July, as a part of a series of stories focusing on WA icons.
Last week, a temporary seven-metre Boonji spaceman sculpture was unveiled at Stirling Gardens.
The $1.5 million art piece was donated to the City of Perth by Miami-based artist Brendan Murphy.
The spaceman statue replaced the 15-metre Ore Obelisk, or kebab sculpture, the removal of which sparked some controversy among Perth’s arts community.
