Kristen Visbal Explained

Kristen Visbal
Birth Date:	3 December 1962
Birth Place:	Montevideo, Uruguay
Nationality:	American
Education:	Salisbury University
Alma Mater:	Salisbury University
Notable Works:	Fearless Girl

Kristen Visbal (born December 3, 1962) is an American sculptor living and working in Lewes, Delaware.^[1] She specializes in lost-wax casting in bronze.^[2]

Biography

Visbal was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, the daughter of American Ralph Albert and Elizabeth Krystyniak Visbal; the father was in foreign service there at the time of her birth. She attended the University of Arizona in Tucson 1980–1982 and University of Maryland 1983–1984. She is a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude at Salisbury State University of 1995.^[3] She was an apprentice of lost wax fine art casting at Johnson Atelier Foundry, Mercerville, New Jersey, 1995–1998, and is the owner and manager of Visbal Fine Bronze Sculpture in Lewes, Delaware since 1998.

Her most prominent work of public art is Fearless Girl (2017), a 50inches bronze figure originally installed at Bowling Green in Manhattan's Financial District, stirring much international attention and controversy, as it challenges the Charging Bull sculpture of 1989.^[4] Visbal has said "The piece is pungent with Girl Power!" In 2018, it was relocated to outside the New York Stock Exchange Building.^[5]

Lawsuits

Kristen Visbal was sued for taking $28,102 from the US Coast Guard Alumni Association to make an Alexander Hamilton statue but allegedly failing to produce the work by the contracted deadline.^[6]

On January 3, 2020, State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) sued Kristen Visbal, over issues concerning the artist's rights to sell replicas of the Fearless Girl. The court held there was no fraudulent inducement on behalf of SSGA in the formation of the contract.^[7]

On May 27, 2020, in a later opinion Visbal's fourteenth affirmative defence was struck out due to a failure to meet the Bridgestone/Firestone requirements.^[8]

Awards

• Charlotte Dunwiddle Memorial Award for a Realistic Sculpture by the Pen and Brush Club (2003) - Jessica (2002)^[9]
• The Gold Medal of Honor by the National Arts Club (NYC) (2006) - The Prowler (2006)^[9]
• A series of awards for the Fearless Girl Sculpture including 18 Cannes Lions (2017)

Other selected works of public art

• Goddess of the Sea, a mermaid with two dolphins framed in water, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina^{[10] [11]}
• The Cradle of Coaches (2009-2011 and 2014), a series of ten 120% lifesize statues of celebrated football coaches (Thomas Van Voorhis, Carmen Cozza, Weeb Ewbank, Paul Dietzel, Red Blaik, Paul Brown, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, John Pont, John Harbaugh) at Miami University's Cradle of Coaches Plaza in Oxford, Ohio.^{[12] [13] [14]}
• In Search of Atlantis (2009), a girl swimming with a green sea turtle, Atlantic Beach, Florida^{[15] [16]}
• The American Cape (2004), a 12feet statue of Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton, Ohio; Hamilton's full-length cape represents the 13-star American flag of the time.^{[17] [18]}
• Sea Express (2003), a man riding on a bottlenose dolphin, Jacksonville Beach, Florida^{[19] [20]}
• Passing the Torch (2002), a statue of Olympic athlete Bob Hayes (1942-2002), Jacksonville, Florida; Hayes wears his 1964 Olympics clothing and carries the Olympic torch.^{[21] [22] [23]}
• Girl Chasing Butterflies (1998), Merrill Lynch HQ in Plainsboro, New Jersey, and (2005) revised version in Hershey Gardens, Pennsylvania^{[24] [25]}

Notes and References

1. News: Lewes' Kristen Visbal creates Fearless Girl . Cape Gazette . Flood . Chris . March 8, 2017 . 10 March 2017.
2. News: MacArthur. Ron. Kristen Visbal's artistic journey continues. 10 March 2017. Cape Gazette. August 7, 2012.
3. Web site: PICS: Artist in uproar as 'Fearless Girl' rivals NYC's bronze bull as major Wall Street attraction. Traveller24. 31 March 2017. 27 March 2017. 30 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170330025736/http://traveller24.news24.com/News/pics-artist-in-uproar-as-fearless-girl-rivals-nycs-bronze-bull-as-major-wall-street-attraction-20170327. dead.
4. News: 'Fearless Girl': New statue stares down Wall Street's bull. March 8, 2017. The Mercury News. Associated Press.
5. News: Moyer. Liz. November 28, 2018. 'Fearless Girl' on the move, but leaves footprints for visitors to stand in her place. CNBC. November 28, 2018.
6. Web site: Fearless Girl's Kristen Visbal sued for breach of contract. Cape Gazette. 2019-02-04.
7. Web site: Judge. GREGORY H. WOODS, United States District. STATE STREET GLOBAL ADVIS 431 F.Supp.3d 322 (2020) 20200107e98 Leagle.com. 2021-05-16. Leagle. en.
8. Web site: State Street Global Advisors Trust Company v. Visbal, No. 1:2019cv01719 - Document 254 (S.D.N.Y. 2020). 2021-05-16. Justia Law. en.
9. Web site: 2021. A Biography of Kristen Visbal. visbalsculpture.
10. Web site: The Goddess of the Sea. Myrtle Beach Downtown Public Arts Initiative. 10 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170312050912/http://www.myrtlebeachboardwalk.com/art-downtown. 12 March 2017. dead.
11. Web site: Public Art Initiative to hold reception for city sculpture project. WMBF News. 10 March 2017. 2 December 2014.
12. Web site: Historic Cradle of Coaches weekend draws near . Miami Redhawks . October 12, 2010 . 10 March 2017.
13. Web site: John Harbaugh statue unveiled at Miami's 'Cradle of Coaches' . 10 March 2017 . . April 19, 2014 .
14. Web site: Cradle of Coaches. Kristen Visbal. 10 March 2017. 11 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160411052118/http://visbalsculpture.com/CradleOfCoaches.html. dead.
15. News: Dixon. Drew. Publicly funded statue is erected in Atlantic Beach. 10 March 2017. 30 May 2009.
16. Web site: In Search of Atlantis. Kristen Visbal. 10 March 2017. 24 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170324143455/http://www.visbalsculpture.com/InSearchOfAtlantisMonument.html. dead.
17. Web site: Alexander Hamilton. Hey! Hamilton. 10 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20161019014022/https://heyhamilton.com/about/alexander-hamilton/. 19 October 2016. dead.
18. Web site: The American Cape. Kristen Visbal. 10 March 2017. 24 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170324174808/http://www.visbalsculpture.com/americancapeinfo.html. dead.
19. Web site: Oceanfront Park. City of Jacksonville Beach. 10 March 2017. 22 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170322123408/http://www.jacksonvillebeach.org/residents/parks-recreation/community-parks/oceanfront-park. dead.
20. Web site: Sea Express. Kristen Visbal. 10 March 2017. 9 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170509081442/http://www.visbalsculpture.com/seaexpressinfo.html. dead.
21. Web site: Bullet' Bob Hayes Commemorated in Bronze.. City of Jacksonville. 10 March 2017. November 7, 2002.
22. Web site: Emery. Glenn. Have Track Shoes, Will Travel. Jacksonville Historical Society. 10 March 2017.
23. Web site: Passing the Torch. Kristen Vispal. 10 March 2017. 16 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170416093025/http://visbalsculpture.com/passingthetorchinfo.html. dead.
24. Statuesque Beauty in the Gardens. 10 March 2017. Twigs & Gigs: A Publication for Members of Hershey Gardens. 8. 2. Fall 2014. 5.
25. Web site: Girl Chasing Butterflies. Kristen Visbal. 10 March 2017. 16 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170416105342/http://visbalsculpture.com/girlchasingbutterfliesinfo.html. dead.