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Reflecting on the Impact of Wenona Girl
The Wenona Girl sculpture greets each student as she enters the grounds, a serene reminder that every girl belongs, is valued, and is forever connected to the timeless Wenonian spirit. "Her lack of facial features is deliberate," its creator Ms Linda Klarfeld told a group of Visual Arts students on a recent visit. "She represents every one of you.”
Wenona was honoured to welcome Ms Klarfeld to the School, to show her the beautiful work in situ and explain its impact on our community since its installation at the beginning of last year. Ms Klarfeld met with our Chief Operating Officer Mr Andrew Leake, Head of Visual Arts Ms Michele Brennan, our Creative Arts Captains and some younger Visual Arts students, who asked perceptive questions about the sculptor's process.
"Ms Klarfeld’s visit was amazing because it revealed how passionate she is about her work as a sculptor through her willingness to share her experiences and advice. I loved how much thought went into Wenona Girl, such as her powerful, strong pose, which conveys ideas of empowerment. She also explained the difficulty of working with granite and bronze, which I found so interesting as previously, I had little knowledge of sculpting practises," said 2022/2023 Creative Arts Captain Lily Jardine.
Ms Klarfeld, who works in both stone and bronze, explained that Wenona Girl took a year to complete and is carved from white granite sourced overseas. "I was very happy to receive this commission because the empowerment of women, especially young women, is very important to me. If the girls can see a confident representation and symbol of themselves every day in the form of a monument, it will empower them,” she said.
“Granite is one of the hardest rocks to carve. It is heavy and difficult to work. The process is slow, and it is almost impossible to fix mistakes. I used it because it is durable and will last thousands of years.”
“I had to laugh when I discovered the students have already nicknamed the statue ‘Cressida’ and made her a focal point and meeting place at the School. To me, it means they can relate to her and have befriended her. So, my work is done. I hope she will inspire the girls and visitors for years to come."
Wenona Girl is a gift from a long-time donor to the School, Dalcorp. The company’s CEO Mr Jeff d'Albora, is an art collector and long-time fan of Ms Klarfeld's work.