Ancient Goddesses in New York

 

A goddess stands in New York harbor to welcome visitors and there are two goddesses on the state flag. But there are thousands of goddesses around New York from many different cultures.

 

 

Welcome to Ancient Goddesses in New York: A Guide to Discovering the Sacred Feminine in Museums, Temples, and Public Places.

 

This is an online exhibit created as my final capstone project for my Master of Art in Public History.

 

It has been two years in the making and it focuses on a unique aspect of New York—it is filled with goddesses! From the Statue of Liberty in the New York Harbor to the goddesses on the state seal, to the countless ancient goddesses in museums, historical collections, college campuses, buildings, and city streets, the Divine Feminine is everywhere.

This is a project that highlights goddess statues and art that can be discovered in (and around) New York City and New York State. It will delve into the history, cultural heritage, and spiritual and religious beliefs related to these divine females. It will also explore ways in which New York has helped preserve goddess history in museum collections, exhibitions, and statues in public spaces, and even in carvings in buildings and sculptures at the top of tall buildings.

During the past few years, I have found hundreds of Divine Females represented in public history settings and private heritage areas. And there are hundreds more to uncover. This exhibit aims to celebrate how the goddess is and has been included and honored in New York. It shares photos, experiences, historical backstories, and educational insights about goddesses that represent a cross-section of cultures, religions, mythologies, and historical periods. It also seeks out and gives acknowledgments to goddesses who are part of monuments and memorial statues.

In some ways, I could call this exhibit "The Goddess Collection of New York."

While some museums are filled with goddesses that are considered part of ancient history and art, there are few "goddess exhibits" or permanent goddess-only collections. My work has been to find some of the most awesome goddesses in general collections of museums, such as Asian, African, Egyptian, Buddhist, and Mesopotamian collections. Some of them are famous goddesses and are among the lesser-known and hidden divine females around town.

 

I hereby offer a personally curated look at goddesses—particularly in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn—and other areas of the state.

 

Since I have conducted this research without a team, it is important to point out that my descriptions of what it is like to be around these goddesses are my interpretations and experiences. I tried to blend that into the exhibit, along with whatever historical information I could fit. However, I would not have been able to put this exhibit together without the huge teams of the wonderful museums in New York. I relied heavily on what they already put into existence for public view and the ways in which this public history is available to anyone. I am simply shaping it together to focus on goddesses in a way I had not seen in New York.

 

I humbly acknowledge that I am tapping into—and relying on— the extraordinary work that came before. There are curators, museum professionals, educators, and others who are responsible for having goddesses in their collections and for creating exhibits (that I have enjoyed!) that include ancient goddesses. It is because of them that I have been able to find so many sacred statues, historical goddess art, and artifacts related to the divine feminine in New York and bring her/them to you in these pages.

 

I have to thank the cultures of origins from which the goddesses hail and apologize in advance for any ways in which they were wrongly taken from their communities. I must thank the devotees who crafted, worshipped, and loved the goddesses now living (or visiting) in museums. These icons are empowered by the holy temples and sacred communities that have adored them and they share that energy with those who visit museums. We are blessed that there are many divine females to discover in New York but clearly, there are controversies related to some collections, including the museums I relied on so much for my visits and research. This is an ever-evolving situation but I will try to address the challenges museums and original owners of cultural heritage are facing.

 

 

The culmination of 27 Years of Goddess Studies

I built this exhibit based on the research I have been doing over the past 25 years and the scholarly work I have been doing as an MA in Public History graduate student. It also builds on what I have learned in creating four goddess exhibits that I produced for my classwork during the program.

The goddesses in this exhibit were discovered during a giant treasure hunt for the Divine Feminine that I have conducted for over many years but that I have fine-tuned in the past two years in preparation for my final Capstone Project for my master's degree. They have been discovered in many different places in New York.

 

What the Exhibit Focuses on

 

In structuring this exhibit, the organization and topics shifted based on all the new (to me) goddesses I was finding, what they represented, and where they were found. Thus, the exhibit evolved into a mix of presenting the very ancient goddesses (like those found in the museums) and the more modern goddesses modeled after the ancients (such as public statues or fountains from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries). Also, there were surprises in the origins of goddesses history in New York (it's more ancient than you think) and there were new insights about the origins of the Statue of Liberty that I don't believe are common knowledge. So the beginning focus of the exhibit is devoted to laying down some of the roots of the goddess in New York State and New York City. Some of the most popular public statues that include goddesses are war monuments that present Divine Females leading the charge to victory or honoring heroes. This practice is more ancient than we may imagine.

 

I have outlined my approach below. (Note: The goddesses are organized under specific headings and categories in the curation of the exhibit itself may differ from the list below.)

 

Goddess History in New York: I followed the origins of New York's goddesses back to ancient times. From the Statue of Liberty to the goddesses that bless the New York State insignia, ancient goddesses played a role in upholding this city.

 

Five museums, and the goddesses in their collection: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rubin Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Asian Society, and the National Museum of the American Indian (which has goddesses inside and in the architecture). Within the museums, I have also identified goddesses that fall under popular categories - Mothers, warriors, and lovers, for example.

 

Outdoor parks: There are several of note that have permanent goddesses and some with visiting goddesses. The parks are blended into various categories within the exhibit.

 

Outdoor statues and monuments: In addition to parks, there are goddesses (and representational female statues that are interpreted as goddesses) located in outdoor areas. Some are in plain view, others can be found carved into buildings or attached to the top of buildings. While these statues may not be ancient, because they were rendered in the 19th or 20th Century, they represent ancient goddesses or are modeled after them.

 

Temple goddesses: The exhibit has a section called "Holy Mothers" that shares temples and shrines in the New York area, where people can honor, and visit the Divine Feminine in various cultures, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. While they are openly worshipped, they are among the most hidden ancient goddesses because they are tucked away in temples. I attained a sampling of images to illustrate their presence here.

 

Visiting goddesses: Goddess exhibits are hard to find. Over the last two years, I have attended, researched, or discovered some exhibits, or temporary installations, of goddesses in various parts of the city. For example, a Medusa statue was installed near the Criminal Court Building, and it was later replaced by a different goddess statue. Also, there have been goddess installations and visiting goddess exhibits, such as the Ancestor installation at Central Park and numerous exhibits at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have recapped some of these and shared photos that I took. Installations and exhibits come and go, but my exhibit will highlight some of those goddesses who once blessed public spaces or museums but are no longer there.

 

Repatriated and returned goddesses: Repatriations have and will change the presence of goddesses in museums. There's so much controversy about the provenance and cultural heritage of goddess statues. There are already several goddesses that I've visited over the past couple of years that have been repatriated or are in the process of being sent back to their culture or governments of origin. Once a goddess is repatriated, her photo and description are removed from the museum website out of respect for the rightful guardians of her cultural history. I cannot offer a slide show, but will try to discuss what repatriation is all about.

 

Ancient goddesses in modern life: This exhibit attempts to honor the spiritual history of the goddess, but also the spiritual practices and cultural heritage of the Divine feminine in modern life. I believe that goddesses, by their divine nature, are spiritual entities. Some of my own experiences and interpretations of the goddesses, herein, reflect this. And some of the descriptions and presentations in museums and public places also reflect this. However, this is a historical exhibit, and most specifically it is a public history exhibit. Understanding the ancient roots of the divine feminine and other sacred females can help us understand why they are so prevalent around the world and in New York. Viewing these goddesses through the lens of public history helps demonstrate that no one truly owns a goddess. Certain individuals may own a statue or piece of art, and certain cultures own and have first rights to cultural heritage, but the goddess in her divine form is not for sale. Her accessibility in public history makes her widely available to many people of all backgrounds, for free or for the price of a donation to a museum.

 

I want to thank my advisor, Professor Anastasia Pratt, for her support and encouragement for this exhibit, and all of the exhibits I have produced since I have been in the Public History Program. One of the first conversations we had was about my idea for my final project, two years ago, and she helped me shape it over time. I want to also thank my advisor, Professor Mark Soderstrom, for his devotion to supporting students in following their hearts and interests. I am so blessed to have two advisors who allowed us to take unique and creative approaches to academic projects.

 

Thank you so much for visiting!

 

Many blessings,

 

Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway