Ohio is preparing to add something big to its Statehouse grounds: a new monument that honors the impact and efforts of women.
The idea took root in 2019, when the Ohio Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission was convened to mark 100 years of the 19th Amendment.
As the group hosted events and shared history about the amendment that granted women the right to vote, they began to wonder how they could create something lasting.
“We talked about how important this anniversary was and what permanent things we could do to commemorate it,” says Donna Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council.
It sparked the question: What if there was a monument commemorating Ohio women at the Statehouse?
But adding a new work of art to Capitol Square is no easy feat. A minimum five-year waiting period and multiple layers of review stood between the idea and installation.
Undeterred, the Commission partnered with the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) and the Capitol Square Foundation to begin the long journey.
After a national artist search, the committee selected sculptor Brenda Councill, known for blending classical forms with contemporary meanings.
Councill’s design features four granite columns encircled by rings engraved with the words Equality, Justice, and Liberation. Names of notable Ohio women will be etched into each pillar. Bronze figures of everyday women will stand atop three of the columns, while a fourth remains open to honor future generations. At ground level, a woman steps down from a pedestal and a child reaches upward.
“The idea that consistently resonated with me was the depiction of women standing on columns,” says Councill. “It’s a metaphor that both acknowledges and challenges longstanding traditions in American culture.”
In 2025, Councill relocated from her home in North Carolina to Zanesville, Ohio, taking up residency at the Alan Cottrill Sculpture Studio & Gallery to sculpt each figure from clay before 3D scanning and casting them in bronze. The process to bring the monument to completion will include engineers, architects, and other craftspeople from across Ohio.
“Creating a work like this really takes a team. And project management.” Councill says. “Bronze casting takes a year. Granite fabrication is 10 months. It’s a lot.”
Behind the scenes, philanthropy has powered the project. Nearly $1.7 million has already been raised toward a $2.5 million goal — all from private and philanthropic sources, as taxpayer dollars cannot fund new Statehouse monuments.
Some of the funds raised will support the creation of educational exhibits and materials about the Ohio Women’s Monument for the thousands of students who visit the Statehouse each year.
For Charley Moses, chair of the Capitol Square Foundation, that educational impact is one of the most meaningful aspects of the project.
“We call the Statehouse ‘the people’s house,’” Moses says. “We hope this monument will inspire students to be active citizens—to vote, to lead, to be involved in their communities.”
The Ohio Women’s Monument installation is slated for summer 2026, aligning with America’s 250th year.
“I hope that [the monument] is a representation of what women’s leadership makes possible,” says Collins. “And I hope little girls can point and say, I want to be her.”
Follow along as the Ohio Women’s Monument comes to life through updates on the Ohio Arts Council’s blog.