The Massachusetts State House boasts one of the oldest public art collections in the country. Yet of its more than 300 works, only about 20 depict images of women .
That’s one reason state Senate President Karen Spilka has for years now covered up the portraits of her 91 predecessors — all but two of them men — with pictures of female historical figures with Massachusetts ties.
Spilka on Thursday unveiled the latest iteration of her “HERstory” art installation, recognizing women with reputations as trailblazers and disrupters, from colonial spiritual leader Anne Hutchinson to astronaut and Needham native Suni Williams .
Alongside the exhibit, the Senate plans to eventually install busts of two women in the Senate chamber. The sculptures will depict First Lady Abigail Adams, an early women’s rights advocate and close adviser to her husband John Adams, and Elizabeth Freeman, the first enslaved African American woman to successfully sue for her freedom in Massachusetts.
The plan initially had been to install one bust of a woman, but Spilka told GBH News that the senators “coalesced” around both Adams and Freeman.
“Why limit ourselves when there are so many men depicted in not only the Senate, but the rest of the State House?” Spilka said. “Broadening our representation is important.”
The sculptures have yet to be commissioned, and there is no set timeline for their installation. They will be the first busts of women in the Capitol, according to Senate officials.
Freeman and Adams were selected from among more than 300 influential women nominated by Massachusetts residents for the project. A committee of senators and museum representatives vetted the submissions, ultimately selecting four finalists and putting those names before senators for a vote.
Sen. Julian Cyr, who chairs the Senate Art Committee, said the panel “grappled” with the idea of picking just one woman.
“There are hundreds of women, thousands of women who’ve made immeasurable contributions to this commonwealth,” Cyr said. “By having two busts, I think we’re trying to send a really strong message that we are working hard to ensure that we are living up to the fullness of our history.”
The busts of Freeman and Adams will join a bust of abolitionist Frederick Douglass as new additions to the Senate chamber. The committee that Cyr chairs is tasked with diversifying the state Senate’s symbols to better reflect the population.
At the State House, representation is not just artistic, it’s electoral.
Eleven of the Senate’s 40 members are women, including Spilka and top members of her leadership team. While 51% of the Massachusetts population is female, women hold 60 of the state Legislature’s 200 total seats.
Spilka, an Ashland Democrat, recalled a conversation she had once with a young woman moved by the display of diverse women’s portraits on her office walls.
“She said, for the first time I see myself,” Spilka said. “She never thought of being able to work here, be here, maybe be a legislator, a senator or a representative. It opens up so many more doors for people to be able to see themselves in the capacity of being in the State House. I know the building is magnificent, but it’s also intimidating for a lot of people.”
The question of whose images are displayed in the State House has also been on the mind of Gov. Maura Healey. Instead of hanging a portrait of a past governor in her ceremonial office, as is tradition, two years ago Healey hung an empty frame meant to inspire young people to envision themselves within it.
