Los Angeles City officials Thursday unveiled a monument honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — marking the completion of a six-year initiative in partnership with Hulu.
In 2021, Hulu staff discovered that fewer than 8% of all statues in the U.S. are of women, prompting leaders to launch its “The Shape of History” campaign prior to the season three premiere of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” As part of the campaign, Hulu erected temporary exhibits of mirrored female statues in four U.S. cities.
Recognizing that one-day activations were not enough, the company launched its “Made by Her: Monuments” initiative. The company partnered with visual artist Saya Woolfalk to create lasting artwork for the cities of Atlanta, Miami and Los Angeles.
Hulu and Miami city officials previously unveiled the Marjory Stoneman Douglas monument at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove, honoring a woman for her trailblazing career in environmental conservation and for her advocacy of women’s rights.
Later, Hulu and Atlanta celebrated the Coretta Scott King monument, located at the King Center right by Martin Luther King Jr’s eternal flame, honoring her dedication and work in the Civil Rights Movement.
The Ginsburg monument was expected to be unveiled in early 2022, but following some changes to the plan and coordination between the city and L.A. County, it was finalized Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Councilwoman Imelda Padilla.
“It’s only day one, and look at how much the community has already come together. The consistent theme is collaboration,” Padilla said. “Collaboration makes good things happen.”
City workers transformed a barren lot outside the Van Nuys Court House and Van Nuys Branch Library into a concrete area with new irrigation systems, trees and landscaping.
At the center, the monument designed by Woolfalk is described as standing tall and elegant — a gazebo-like structure, featuring an image of the late jurist, with her iconic collars serving as the floor and ceiling, as well as a door slightly ajar, representing the door and path she paved for girls and women for them to walk through.
Woolfalk said she had multiple conversations with Jane Ginsburg, daughter of the late Justice Ginsburg, to create the monument.
“One of the first things that she drew to my attention were Justice Ginsburg’s incredible collars,” Woolfalk said. “In my imagination as an artist, I kind of think of these giant collars almost as collars for an enormous, monumental woman who’s here and present in the space … and her energy can actually permeate this space of justice.”
She also highlighted the benches that were inspired by similar seats from Harvard Law School.
“It was very very important that these three monuments be gifts to the cities, where they’re sited, so they’re not privately held,” Woolfalk added. “They’re in public space. They’re places where the public can congregate, and they’re collectively owned by the people who live in these cities.”
Vivi Lehner, a representative for Hulu, was part of the original team that created the initiative. She said it was born from a belief that women “deserve to be seen, celebrated and represented in our public spaces.”
“My hope is that young girls and women around the world will stand here, see themselves reflected in this space and feel inspired to lead and claim their place in history,” Lehner said. “May this monument forever serve as a reminder that change is possible.”
City officials said they hope to host more community events and gatherings at the Van Nuys Civic Center, which has been transformed as a result of partnership, creativity, and a spirit from RGB.
“I want you to think about this not just as a cultural monument. First of all, I want you to think about it as a park,” Van Nuys Neighborhood Council President Kathy Schreiner said. “We want more people in Van Nuys to be aware of what a beautiful space this is going to be.”