Nancy Schön Explained

Nancy Schön
Birth Name:Nancy Quint
Birth Date:24 September 1928
Birth Place:Boston, Massachusetts, School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
Alma Mater:Boston University
Known For:Outdoor Sculptures
Notable Works:Make Way for Ducklings
Spouse:Donald Alan Schön (1930-1997)
Children:4

Nancy Schön (born 1928) is an American sculptor whose work is displayed internationally in museums, libraries, universities, private collections, and public outdoor spaces. She is best known for her work titled Make Way for Ducklings, installed in 1987 in the Boston Public Garden.[1]

The sculpture is an homage to the journey of a family of ducks traveling through Boston immortalized in Robert McCloskey's 1941 children's classic Make Way for Ducklings. The sculpture, created by Schön with permission from McCloskey, is featured on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.[2] [3] [4]

In the late 1980s, then-First Lady Barbara Bush invited Russia's First Lady Raisa Gorbachev to meet in Boston. The two visited Schön's duckling sculpture while meeting with a group of children in the Boston area. Schön was later informed that Ms. Gorbachev admired the sculpture. An intricate process began involving the U.S. Government, the Russian Government, Schön, and numerous other individuals to have the sculpture duplicated and delivered to Russia.[5] [6]

The work is presently displayed in Moscow's Novodevichy Convent.[7] [8] A plaque on the sculpture, written in both Russian and English, states the sculpture was given "in love and friendship to the children of the Soviet Union on behalf of the children of the United States."[9] At the installation, the first democratically elected mayor of Moscow, Gavriil Popov, was in attendance. He commented that "life in Moscow would improve with time and that, eventually, the ducklings would have lives as good as they had in Boston."[10]

Schön received her associate's degree from Boston University in 1948. In 1952, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University and a degree in Sculpture (with honors) from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. In 2008, she received an Honorary Doctor of Law from Mt. Ida College.[11]

Schön's sculptures are made of bronze because of its permanence and warm colors. Her work has evolved through her life experiences and often reflects the stage of her life at the time the sculptures were created. Initially, her sculptures involved the interplay of mother and children, as Schön was raising four children.[12]

As her children became adults, Schön began creating sculptures of adult interactions and relationships, with one theme being the metaphor of climbing. She has said "how we interpret and go through our lives is evident in climbing, which often implies struggle and effort. We do not climb in a straight line but reach plateaus, rest, and then continue on. Our lives are sometimes joyous, sometimes sad, but always in motion, hopefully upward."[13]

Some of Schön's sculptures depict animals. While Schön has always loved animals, it was a fortuitous event that led to the creation of some of her most recognized sculptures. Schön loved displaying her work in outdoor settings and viewing outdoor sculptures of other artists. However, she noticed that people, regardless of age, looked at outdoor sculptures in a static, non-interactive manner.[14]

One day, however, she saw an outdoor sculpture of a child with a cat. People stopped to pet and hug the cat, seeming to overlook that the child was even part of the sculpture. It was at that moment that Schön saw the power animal sculptures had in creating a form of art whereby individuals do not just view the sculpture but engage with it, creating their own individual experience.[15] Schön decided then that she wanted to create sculptures that people would interact, and preferably in a public place where it could be viewed for free.[16]

Schön's duckling sculpture in Boston Public Gardens epitomizes the interaction people have with her outdoor sculptures. Every day, individuals (especially children but even adults) can be seen sitting on the ducks and taking photos. Throughout the year, individuals decorate the ducks to represent sports teams, holidays, special events, and social issues. They place t-shirts, sweaters, hats, scarves, caps, and other forms of expression.[17]

Schön's works often exemplify her sense of justice, human rights, and social commentary. One of her more recent sculptures is a statement against the unjustness of the Russian war in Ukraine. The "sculpture shows an oversized military boot — its toe transformed into a bear face with fangs — about to descend on a tiny nightingale, the state bird of Ukraine. The bird stands atop a tear-shaped pool of rubble. Inside the boot is a hammer and sickle."[18] As Schön explained to The Boston Globe, "As a child, she'd watched newsreels of Hitler's troops advancing into Czechoslovakia. 'And my child's eyes saw these boots,' she said. 'Marching boots. Only boots. Even at that age, I knew what it was about. And that image stayed with me."[19] The moment she saw the first news about Russia invading Ukraine, she thought back to the boots of the Hitler troops.[20]

Schön can appreciate political statements that others incorporate into her work. One such expression involved Schön's "Make Way for Ducklings" sculpture that presents Mrs. Mallard (a mother duck) walking with her eight ducklings following her. In 2019, Karyn Alzayer, a Boston University student, surrounded the ducklings with wire cages and put mylar blankets over them. Alzayer's goal was to symbolize the crisis at the United States' southern border. Alzayer separated the mother duck from the ducklings to symbolize how the United States government was separating children from their parents.[21] [22]

Even though Alzayer did not request Ms. Schön's permission to cage the ducklings, Ms. Schön "thought it was Brilliant! Brilliant! . . . I think it's one of the most compelling political statements that someone could possibly make. It turns out that the best thing of all about the use of the ducks in the book is the ducks were looking for a home, and these immigrant kids are looking for a home and put in cages with mylar blankets. I didn't object to it for one second because of the tragedy happening to these kids at the border."[23]

In 1952, Schön married Donald Alan Schön (1930–1997). Her series, The Reflective Giraffe, with a giraffe as the central icon, is a tribute to her husband, who was 6'4" tall. Schön has four children. Since 1966, she has lived in West Newton, Massachusetts.

Prominent placement of Schön's sculptures

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Where to See "Make Way for Ducklings" in Boston. January 18, 2024. Boston Discovery Guide.
  2. Web site: Back Bay East Tour. Boston Women's Heritage Trail.
  3. Web site: Robin Young. Make way for Russia: Sculptor known for duckling statue depicts the brutality of war on Ukraine. January 18, 2024. January 16, 2024. WBUR.
  4. Web site: Bob Shaffer. Make Way For Diplomacy: How Boston's 'Ducklings' Helped Ease U.S.-Soviet Tensions. January 18, 2024. March 31, 2017. WBUR.
  5. Web site: Robin Young. Make way for Russia: Sculptor known for duckling statue depicts the brutality of war on Ukraine. January 18, 2024. January 16, 2024. WBUR.
  6. Web site: The story of Nancy Schon's Duckling Sculpture-from Boston to Moscow --. February 1, 2024. January 2024. Interview with Schön published on YouTube.
  7. Web site: Robin Young. Make way for Russia: Sculptor known for duckling statue depicts the brutality of war on Ukraine. January 18, 2024. January 16, 2024. WBUR.
  8. Web site: Bob Shaffer. Make Way For Diplomacy: How Boston's 'Ducklings' Helped Ease U.S.-Soviet Tensions. January 18, 2024. March 31, 2017. WBUR.
  9. Web site: Bob Shaffer. Make Way For Diplomacy: How Boston's 'Ducklings' Helped Ease U.S.-Soviet Tensions. January 18, 2024. March 31, 2017. WBUR.
  10. Web site: Bob Shaffer. Make Way For Diplomacy: How Boston's 'Ducklings' Helped Ease U.S.-Soviet Tensions. January 18, 2024. March 31, 2017. WBUR.
  11. Web site: Nancy Schön Resume. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  12. Web site: About Nancy Schön. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  13. Web site: About Nancy Schön. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  14. Web site: Courtney H. Diener-Stokes. Nancy Schön: Bold & Bronze. January 18, 2024. August 2020. Copper Development Association, Inc..
  15. Web site: Courtney H. Diener-Stokes. Nancy Schön: Bold & Bronze. January 18, 2024. August 2020. Copper Development Association, Inc..
  16. Web site: Julie Cohen. Sculptor honored on 90th birthday. January 18, 2024. October 1, 2018 . Wicked Local.
  17. Web site: Norma Acevedo de Heine. Make Way for Ducklings: Public Art and the Boston Public Garden. January 18, 2024. May 11, 2020. Robert Allison History.
  18. Web site: Robin Young. Make way for Russia: Sculptor known for duckling statue depicts the brutality of war on Ukraine. January 18, 2024. January 16, 2024. WBUR.
  19. Web site: David Scharfenberg. At 95, the 'Make Way for Ducklings' sculptor is ready to unveil her 'deep,' 'angry' work. January 18, 2024. January 5, 2024 . Boston Globe.
  20. Web site: Robin Young. Make way for Russia: Sculptor known for duckling statue depicts the brutality of war on Ukraine. January 18, 2024. January 16, 2024. WBUR.
  21. Web site: Rusty Gorelick. Alum Nancy Schön Is 91, and Her Sculptures Are Still Making Headlines. January 18, 2024. September 24, 2019 . BU Today.
  22. Web site: Norma Acevedo de Heine. Make Way for Ducklings: Public Art and the Boston Public Garden. January 18, 2024. May 11, 2020. Robert Allison History.
  23. Web site: Rusty Gorelick. Alum Nancy Schön Is 91, and Her Sculptures Are Still Making Headlines. January 18, 2024. September 24, 2019 . BU Today.
  24. Web site: Where to See "Make Way for Ducklings" in Boston. January 18, 2024. Boston Discovery Guide.
  25. Web site: Bob Shaffer. Make Way For Diplomacy: How Boston's 'Ducklings' Helped Ease U.S.-Soviet Tensions. January 18, 2024. March 31, 2017. WBUR.
  26. Web site: Andrea Shea. Piglet Joins His Bronze Posse At Newton Library. January 18, 2024. May 11, 2013. WBUR.
  27. Web site: The Tortoise and the Hare, as Sculpted by Nancy Schön. January 18, 2024. April 2, 2021. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
  28. Web site: Raccoons and the Magic Horseshoes. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  29. Web site: Norma Acevedo de Heine. Make Way for Ducklings: Public Art and the Boston Public Garden. January 18, 2024. May 11, 2020. Robert Allison History.
  30. Web site: David Scharfenberg. At 95, the 'Make Way for Ducklings' sculptor is ready to unveil her 'deep,' 'angry' work. January 18, 2024. January 5, 2024 . Boston Globe.
  31. Web site: Julie Cohen. Sculptor honored on 90th birthday. January 18, 2024. October 1, 2018 . Wicked Local.
  32. Web site: The Scholarly, Whimsical, Gentle, Lucky and Loving Dragon. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  33. Web site: MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS, LENTIL. January 18, 2024. September 28, 2012 . Browsing the Atlas.
  34. Web site: Gateway of Independence. January 18, 2024. The Carroll Center for the Blind.
  35. Web site: A Dragon for Dorchester. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  36. Web site: Sundial dedicated to nursing at MGH. January 18, 2024. Massachusetts General Hospital Russell Museum.
  37. Web site: Butterflies in the Francis Street Garden. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  38. Web site: The Tortoise and the Hare, as Sculpted by Nancy Schön. January 18, 2024. April 2, 2021. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
  39. Web site: Children's Garden - Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  40. Web site: Andrea Shea. Piglet Joins His Bronze Posse At Newton Library. January 18, 2024. May 11, 2013. WBUR.
  41. Web site: Prairie Dogs greeting in the Children's Garden. January 18, 2024. Nancy Schön Website.
  42. Web site: Naomi Kooker. A Transformational Team. January 18, 2024. Spring 2007. Regis College.
  43. Web site: Cristela Guerra. 'Myrtle The Turtle' Sculpture Will Move Into The Garden After 'Burning' Kids Who Climbed On It. January 18, 2024. August 26, 2019. WBUR.
  44. Web site: Aidan Connelly. Famed 'Make Way For Ducklings' Sculptor Nancy Schön Commemorates Unlikely Love. January 18, 2024. August 7, 2023. GBH.
  45. Web site: Julie Cohen. Newton library's 30th anniversary flower sculpture will grow on you. January 18, 2024. August 20, 2021. WickedLocal.
  46. Web site: Dan Murphy. Ducklings Sculptor Nancy Schön Enlists Daughter To Help Create New Sculpture for Newton's Waban Common. January 18, 2024. January 5, 2023. The Boston Sun.
  47. Web site: Anne O'Connor. Concord's most literary duck turns 1. January 18, 2024. June 7, 2023. The Concord Bridge.
  48. Web site: Bob Brown. 'Reach for Knowledge' sculpture debuts at Wellesley Free Library. January 18, 2024. November 3, 2023. The Swellesly Report.

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