SHWLP Virtual Tour Introduction

HEAR US is permanently installed in the oldest part of the Massachusetts State House, just outside of Doric Hall. A series of tall marble panels creates a "portrait gallery" of six remarkable women. In each panel sits a bronze bust of one of the honorees, based on period photographs; two quotations from her speeches or writing are etched on the marble. The wall behind the panels is covered with wallpaper composed of a

repeating pattern of legislative documents relating to struggles these women waged.

The artists' choice of bronze and marble links the new work to the statues and plaques that fill the halls of the State House. The use of type continues the tradition of commemorative plaques found throughout the building—but with an important difference: the words you read on these panels are the women's own. They come from pamphlets, speeches, articles, newspaper writings, autobiographies, and oral histories.

The panels are arranged chronologically, beginning with Dorothea Dix, who was born at the beginning of the 19th century, and ending with Florence Luscomb, who lived until almost the end of the 20th. Dix had no choice but to work behind the scenes of state government. Luscomb helped win the vote for women and went on to run for office herself.

To view the virtual tour of HEAR US, you will need Apple's QuickTime plug-in installed. You can download it for free by clicking here.