"The Girl Puzzle" is a monument that is tentatively scheduled to open to the public in the winter of 2021. This interactive monument is being built to honor Nellie Bly and her undying wish to give voices to those who felt unheard. This monument will feature five female faces, each one standing seven feet tall. Nellie Bly's face is cast in silver bronze while the other four are bronze. Each of the bronze faces is meant to represent different ages and ethnicities that have been marginalized. These sculptured faces are not necessarily people that Bly encountered during her life. Instead, the inspiration for these faces came from people in the sculptor's life. Every face in this exhibit is planned to have a quote on the back of it from Nellie Bly or people she encountered during her time at the New York City Lunatic Asylum. These sculptures will be in pieces rather than whole to highlight the fact that we as humans are the sum of many parts. Each of our experiences (whether viewed as positive, negative, or neutral) shapes who we are. These female faces will also be in pieces to symbolize the strength that these people have. Despite all the pain, hardship, and marginalization, these "broken" women continue moving forward. In the spirit of Bly's advocacy, the monument is also accessible to people with a variety of disabilities including vision impairment or needing a wheelchair. For those with impaired vision, braille and audio recordings will be available, so that they can also receive the messages that will be on the plaques and in the faces that will be part of this monument.

In the words of Amanda Matthews, the sculptor creating these giant faces, "The best way we can honor Nellie Bly is to continue her great work." I think this kind of commemoration is extremely important, especially for someone who has had such a big impact on our country in such a positive way. While Nellie Bly isn't a household name in all of the US, this monument will ensure that her legacy is preserved.

References

Matthews, Amanda, and Brad Connell. The Girl Puzzle Monument Honoring Nellie Bly NYC, NY. https://www.prometheusart.com/the-girl-puzzle-honoring-nellie-bly-nyc.html.

Matthews-Fields, Audrey. The Girl Puzzle, 2021, https://www.thegirlpuzzle.com/.