Alliance Unveils Monuments to Motherhood
April 22, 2025
Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks have unveiled a new sculpture by artist and activist Molly Gochman at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park as part of NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program. A work from the artist’s Monuments to Motherhood series, the fifteen-foot-tall bronze sculpture honors caregiving in all its forms, recognizing those who nurture, sustain, and support their communities—often in ways that go unseen. Across the country, public statuary rarely reflects these essential contributions, and the role of care remains largely overlooked in civic spaces. This sculpture offers a powerful acknowledgment of those whose labor holds society together and stands as a testament to the generations that came before us. The sculpture will be on view near the Grand Army Plaza Entrance for 1 year until May 2026.
The installation is accompanied by a season of programming at various sites, including family-friendly events in the spring and summer and a special gathering on Mother’s Day in Prospect Park, designed to engage the public in conversations about motherhood, caregiving, and how we honor our collective histories.
“This work is a monument to all of us, including the millions of people—parents, nurses, childcare workers, home health aides—who perform acts of care every day, often without recognition,” Molly Gochman shared. “It feels deeply resonant to bring this sculpture to Grand Army Plaza, a site of both public commemoration and everyday movement. My hope is that by engaging in dialogue about caregiving, we can illuminate its vital role and celebrate this universal and essential act.”
“Caregiving is truly an act of love—whether it’s tending to the soil to help plants grow, nurturing a little one taking their first steps, or sitting on a bench taking in the sun. We’re honored that Prospect Park is where Brooklynites come to care for themselves and each other—the park is truly a backbone that we all rely on for comfort and connection,” said Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco. “The park is a natural fit as home to Monuments to Motherhood, as caregiving is embedded in so much of what we do at the Alliance through our work sustaining natural areas, fostering community, providing opportunities for wellness and more. Molly’s work is a powerful addition to Brooklyn’s monument landscape, and a step to ensure monuments reflect and honor the people who shape our communities through care and love.”
“It is so fitting that Monuments to Motherhood is taking its place in Prospect Park. Just as caregivers do, our public greenspaces make communities safer and stronger, helping New Yorkers connect with one another and find inspiration in the great outdoors. In turn, we care for our public parks through stewardship, ensuring these vital living resources remain resilient and healthy for generations to come,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “We’re proud to enhance our public spaces with world-class art installations like this, sparking moments of delight and reflection for New Yorkers and visitors alike. We’re grateful to the artist and our partners at the Prospect Park Alliance for bringing this thought-provoking piece to Brooklyn’s backyard.”
This series emerged from Gochman’s investigation into the public monument landscape, where she sought to challenge some of the prevailing narratives she discovered—dominated mostly by depictions of white men and glorifications of acts of war—and instead create a monument to the immaterial and essential act of care. Through this installation, Gochman continues her work of reshaping commemoration, offering a powerful reflection on caregiving, community and the narratives we choose to elevate in public space.
Gochman created the sculptures in the Monuments to Motherhood series using armatures built from repurposed household items, such as bowls, plastic wrap, and aluminum foil, that symbolize the hidden labor of care. These temporary structures served as the foundation for looping layers of epoxy clay coils, reflecting an interconnected network of relationships and mutual support. She then cast the sculptures at a large scale in bronze, a valuable material chosen for its association with high art and the traditional language of monuments, as well as for its ability to last longer than other metals while still holding the potential for alchemical changes. Participation is a central feature in Gochman’s artistic practice. When visitors touch these sculptures, the natural oils from their hands will, over time, subtly alter the patina. That evolving surface echoes the unpredictable, ongoing, and enduring imprint of care in all of our lives through an act of collective creation.
The Monuments to Motherhood project also includes a podcast series of the same name, exploring themes of caregiving, motherhood, artmaking, and monumentalization.
