Client: Dr. Francesca Shaughnessey

Overview

A sculpture of an open book 12 feet long x 8 feet high presenting 31 bas relief portraits from intellectual history. Anchoring one page is Darwin, as Einstein steps out of the book. The book is held open by over life size sculptures of the client and her brother, both educators.

Goals

To present a cornucopia of knowledge to the viewer and inspire questions leading to further inquiry and the desire for learning.

Process

"I sat with the client several times to get a sense of what she wished to see in the sculpture she commissioned. I quickly understood her passion for learning. When I suggested we sculpt an enlarged book and fill its opened pages with portraits from intellectual history, she liked the idea very much. She became an active participant in suggesting figures from history who had meaning for her, and she allowed me latitude to choose many of my own subjects. She enjoyed posing for the portrait of herself for one of the two figures holding the book open, and I worked from photos on the portrait of her brother, the other free-standing figure beside the book. She visited the studio with pleasure, and I brought photos to her for her review. When she was satisfied with the enlargement in clay, we cast the work in bronze. She was delighted to attend the unveiling of the sculpture by Rowan University students." - Zenos Frudakis, Artist

Additional Information

Dr. Shaughnessey commissioned Zenos to create a sculpture that would “inspire students to enjoy the pleasures of learning." She was a teacher and psychologist in the Philadelphia Schools for 30 years. Her brother was a teacher at Villanova University. Dr. Shaughnessey and her brother are seen here holding open the sculpture of the book, and inviting students to learn.

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