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Glenna Goodacre, sculptor of the Vietnam Women's Memorial, is internationally renowned for her work in bronze. She has won numerous awards and honors for her work and is one of a small number of independent artists to have her artwork minted on a U.S. circulated coin (the gold-colored Sacagawea dollar coin issued in 2000). |

©Patrick Hughes
Nov. 11, 2003 |
"My
desire to create a lasting tribute to the American
women serving in Vietnam is founded upon my deep
respect for each of them, and my heartfelt payer for
their healing and hope. I have been humbled by the
enormity of such a task yet incredibly honored by the
overwhelming gratitude of the veterans. The emphasis
of this tribute is centered on their emotions: their
compassion, their anxiety, their fatigue, and above
all, their dedication. |
My
first concern in designing this sculpture was to arrange the
four figures in a composition that is interesting from all angles:
a true sculpture in the round. The photos from Vietnam often
included stacks of sandbags. It seemed natural for a nurse
in a moment of crisis to be supported by sandbags as
she serves as the life support for a wounded soldier lying across
her lap. The standing woman looks up, in search of a med-i-vac
helicopter or, perhaps, in search of help from God. |
©1993, VWMF, Inc, Glenna Goodacre, Sculptor |
©1993, VWMF, Inc, Glenna Goodacre, Sculptor |
The
kneeling figure has been called the heart and soul
of the piece because so many vets see themselves in her.She
stares at any empty helmet, her posture reflecting her despair,
frustrations, and all the horrors of war. The soldiers
face is half-covered by a bandage, creating an anonymous figure
with which veterans can identify. Even though he is wounded,
he will live. I want this to be a monument for the living. |
That
my hands can shape the clay which might touch
the hearts and heal the wounds of those who served fills me
with humility and deep satisfaction. I can only hope that
future generations who view the sculpture will stand in tribute
to these women who served during the Vietnam era." |

©1993, VWMF, Inc,
Glenna Goodacre, Sculptor |
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Glenna Goodacre
Sculptor |
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For more information about the Memorial,
its dedication, and the women who served during Vietnam, read Celebration
of Patriotism and Courage: Dedication of the Vietnam Womens
Memorial. |
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George Dickie, AIA ASLA, the landscape architect of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, is a professor of architecture at Penn State University. |

©Patrick Hughes
Nov. 11, 2003 |
"From
the inception of the design process it was important to establish
and understand the setting of the Wall and other memorials in the
park.
The challenge of site selection followed
congressional approval to locate the memorial in area A,
as this section of the Constitution Gardens is designated by the National
Park Service.
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In researching the design records
of the Wall, a defined site boundary of the Wall site
could not be found. The competition guidelines had prescribed an
approximately two-acre area within which the Wall could be located.
Establishing this area was the first
task. Further on-site investigations determined that the space surrounding
the Wall that could be defined as the genus loci of
the Wall was in fact closer to six acres in size. Six sites were
examined as suitable for the Vietnam Womens Memorial, each
adjacent to but outside the area of context of the Wall. Important
in the site selection were three additional factors: (1) that the
new Memorial would be set in a location from which the wall could
be seen; (2) that there would be easy access to the new site; and
(3) that the placement would relate to the design of the park and
complement the original design concept of Constitution Gardens.
The design concept builds upon the
criteria used in the site selection process, in addition to the
realization that the Memorials are experiencing far greater number
of visitors than had been previously anticipated.
The sculpture by Glenna Goodacre is
the single most important force in the design of the landscape setting.
The composition of the sculpture involves the viewer in a series
of successive views. The visitor is drawn by the composition to
move around the sculpture and to determine a personal perception
of the composition from many different points. This need to involve
the viewer in a kinetic relationship to the statue led to the design
of a terrace that, while being functionally adequate for viewing,
would also provide space for seating.
The material used for the paving is
a Carnelaian red granite from Minnesota. The terrace is approached
from the main walkway leading to the Wall and the statue of three
fighting men. A single entrance leads to the sculpture and gives
visitors views of the Wall as they exit.
The rectangular shape of the terrace
and the indents for seating and viewing create a counterpoint to
the movement of the visitor and to the circle of trees that form
the space within the park. The trees provide transparent walls to
the terrace and will give shade and comfort in the summer. The trees
selected, Yellowood, have a delicate branching form; the leaves
are light green in summer and a subtle yellow in fall. Other plant
materials are Viburnum and Shadblow. The ground cover surrounding
the terrace is an evergreen variety of Cotoncaster. |
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George Dickie, AIA ASLA
Landscape Architect |
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