New Busts for the Long Room Marking the lives of four exceptional women D uring the visit of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex to the Trinity Long Room in 2018, the Duchess noted the absence of women amongst the sculptures. Provost Patrick Prendergast noted that there were plans to add women to the collection, and several months later nominations were requested from Trinity students, staff and alumni with only two criteria: the subjects should be women scholars, and they should no longer be living. Once the four women were chosen, the panel commissioned artists to submit proposals, from whom a shortlist were invited to submit maquettes - a sculptor’s small preliminary model or sketch of two women of their choice. The panel considered it important to offer financial support for these maquettes, particularly during the pandemic. The results were an impressive array of materials and styles. Trinity has chosen the following artists: The panel, chaired by the Provost and including former Registrars, the Librarian Helen Shenton, and Academic and Collections experts, received over 500 submissions. From those the final four were chosen: The folklorist, dramatist and theatre-founder Augusta Gregory , the scientist Rosalind Franklin , the mathematician Ada Lovelace and the writer and pioneering women’s rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft . Maudie Brady to portray Ada Lovelace, Rowan Gillespie to portray Mary Wollstonecraft, Vera Klute to portray Rosalind Franklin, and Guy Reid to portray Augusta Gregory. The busts are expected to be unveiled in the Long Room at the end of 2022.
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