Bronze reproduction of Kristen Visbal’s “Fearless Girl” (all images courtesy the artist)
Anyone moved or inspired by “Fearless Girl” — the bronze statue that was installed opposite Wall Street’s iconic “Charing Bull” last year — can now purchase a reproduction of it, but it’s not cheap. Its artist, Kristen Visbal, is selling two-foot-tall copies of the ponytailed girl, who stands with arms on her hips, for $6,500 each. Sold in a limited run of 1,000, the miniature versions are true to the form of the original, each based on a 3D scan of it and shaped through lost-wax casting.
“My hope is that your limited edition bronze will serve as a symbol of empowerment and encouragement and as a reminder that collaboration between genders and culture is the enlightened path forward for smarter, stronger decisions,” Visbal writes on her “Fearless Girl” website. She adds that 20% of proceeds will be allocated as donations to nonprofits that empower young women and support gender equality.
Bronze reproduction of Kristen Visbal’s “Fearless Girl”
Originally created to represent female leadership and power, the original statue was criticized by some as an empty symbol of corporate feminism. Visbal was asked by the financial firm State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) to design the statue (it was originally envisioned as a bronze cow), which was unveiled on International Women’s Day. The company is, notably, overwhelmingly male-dominated; last year, it also agreed to a $5 million settlement over allegations that it paid female executives less than men, and black executives less than their white counterparts.
Visbal confirmed in an email to Hyperallergic that this new sale of reproductions is “in no way associated” with SSGA, and that she owns the copyright to “Fearless Girl.” Her website notes that the sales are in response to “requests for reproductions”; it also features a link to photographer Federica Valabrega‘s own page, where people can buy yet another souvenir of the artwork: a more affordable, black-and-white photo of “Fearless Girl” in situ.
Visbal said that she hopes to bring people more affordable options in the future, but that, for now, “it is important that any reproduction be produced in a material consistent with the original.”
Kristen Visbal with her original “Fearless Girl” statue
On her website, she also notes that “funding from any and all” copies of “Fearless Girl” may go towards a program that promotes the gender diversity goals the statue strives for, including gender equality and equal pay for women. Visbal told Hyperallergic that she has yet to develop this program, but that she hopes to send donations from her sales to nonprofits that can help her implement it.
One possibility she has in mind is an educational program to introduce to elementary and middle school students “where students are tasked with solving problems in a fully diverse group which teaches the value in incorporating gender differences in making decisions,” she said.
Over 80 editions of the “Fearless Girl” reproduction have been sold so far. Visbal has also created a “Fearless Girl” Facebook profile frame to alter your profile picture, as a quick way for people to express solidarity with and promote her cause. And a book may be on the way as well: Visbal told CNNMoney that she hopes to sell a children’s book that features “Fearless Girl” as a character. It seems that “Fearless Girl” has retained some of her capitalist roots.
As for the original “Fearless Girl,” her future remains uncertain. She was initially installed as a temporary artwork, but Bill de Blasio quickly extended the permit that allowed her to stand on Wall Street from a few days to one year. That deadline has passed, but “Fearless Girl” is still anchored to the neighborhood’s cobblestone paving. SSGA and the Mayor’s Office are currently in talks to decide whether she can be moved to another location where she can stand as a permanent tourist attraction.
