Today (14 August) is the last day to see a bronze statue of photographer Diane Arbus in New York City. Created by celebrated British conceptual artist Gillian Wearing, we passionately believe that this tribute to female influence should remain standing forever in Central Park.

The Eiffel Tower was a temporary structure intended to stand for just 20 years, and look at it now. Solid proof that it's ok to change your mind! There's only one other statue dedicated to a real woman in the park (not discriminating against Alice in Wonderland) but perhaps the other 22 statues of men would appreciate some female company. Just saying. 

So, people of the internet. If you agree with us then please add your signature below or post a photo of Gillian's statue (or even post an image from Diane Arbus' archive) to social media with the hashtag: #KeepDianeStanding and let's see what happens. 

More Information: 

Commissioned by the Public Art Fund, Wearing’s life-size (5’6”) bronze sculpture of Arbus stands with her camera pointed at the oncoming crowds as she might've been seen in the 1950s and 60s. Her finger is on the shutter button and her shoes have been painted to humanize the sculpture. A plaque features a quote from Arbus: "If you scrutinize reality closely enough, if in some way you really, really get to it, it becomes fantastic."

Wearing used a labor-intensive lost-wax process, relied on extensive research, and worked from a variety of source photographs to create the cast bronze sculpture which is described as having captured Arbus with both unpretentious immediacy and affectionate respect. Wearing has also previously paid homage to Arbus when in 2008 she created a photograph, titled “Me as Arbus.”

“Wearing’s personal tribute to another artist offers a new way to think about and present a public monument while prompting us to reflect on who gets chosen to be the subject of a public sculpture,” explains Public Art Fund.

Both Arbus and Wearing are drawn to people and reflect the human condition with candor, empathy and compassion. By positioning the sculpture at eye level, Wearing aims to get across the "human approach" Arbus took in photography and give visibility to women within a male-dominated tradition of public statues.

About the artists:

Diane Arbus, born Diane Nemerov in 1923, was a New York City native who grew up on Central Park West. While she later lived downtown, she traversed the city and its parks with her Mamiyaflex, and shot some of her best-known work while holding court in Central Park, including "Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, 1962," which one photography expert called "one of the most significant photographic images in the history of fine art photography."

Gillian Wearing was born in 1963 in Birmingham, England. After settling in London in 1983, she studied at the Chelsea School of Art and Goldsmiths College, University of London, earning a BFA in 1990. City Racing in London hosted her first solo exhibition in 1993. In her photographs and videos, Wearing records the confessions and interactions of ordinary people she befriends through chance encounters. Her work explores the differences between public and private life, the individual and society, voyeurism and exhibitionism, and fiction and fact. In 1997, she was awarded the Turner Prize. Wearing lives and works in London.