Gwendolyn "Gwen" Gillen (January 6, 1941 – January 27, 2017) was an American sculptor and artist. Her best known works include a bronze sculpture of actress
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), which ...
tossing her
Tam o' shanter hat into the air as a homage to the final scene of
opening credits of ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...
''. Gillen's life-size sculpture of Moore, dedicated in 2002 on the
Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall is a twelve-block portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is the shopping and dining district of the city, and also a pedestrian mall and transit mall. Along with Hennepin A ...
in downtown
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, is one of the city's most recognizable
landmarks
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
and a "symbol of Minneapolis".
Her other well known pieces include a 4-foot
bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
of
Gertie the Duck
Gertie the Duck is an icon of Milwaukee, Wisconsin history and the subject of a bronze sculpture by American artist Gwendolyn Gillen. It was installed on the Wisconsin Avenue bridge in September 1997.
The story of her heroic efforts to hatch s ...
, which was installed on the Wisconsin Avenue bridge in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
in 1997.
[
]
Biography
Early and personal life
Gillen was born Gwendolyn Scrivener on January 6, 1941. Her father, Carl H. Scrivener, was a newspaper editor for ''The Patriot Ledger
''The Patriot Ledger'' is a daily newspaper in Quincy, Massachusetts, that serves the South Shore. It publishes Monday through Saturday.
Known for its thorough news coverage of the 26 communities south of Boston, ''The Patriot Ledger'' has won ...
''.[ She was raised in Quincy, Massachusetts.][ Gillen studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in ]New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, which helped her lose her Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
accent.[ She met her future husband, Ronald W. Gillen, who was from ]Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
at an evening party in New York City.[ The couple married in a ceremony held on May 20, 1961, in ]Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...
.[ Ronald Gillen was a member of the ]U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
, causing the couple to move frequently, including to Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
and Japan.[
By the late 1960s, the Gillens had settled in the Milwaukee metropolitan area so Ronald Gillen could enroll at the ]Milwaukee School of Engineering
The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is a private university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The campus is in the List of neighborhoods of Milwaukee, East Town neighborhood of downtown Milwaukee. The school's enrollment of 2,820 includes 224 g ...
.[ They settled in nearby ]Hustisford, Wisconsin
Hustisford is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,123 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the town of Hustisford.
History
The village was named for John Hustis, a pioneer settler.
Geography
...
, where they raised two children, Alessandra and Christopher.[ Gwen Gillen worked as a ]set designer
Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly train ...
for a local Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
theater.[
]
Career
Gwen Gillen began her career as a sculptor by creating small, test sculptures in the basement studio of her home in Hustisford, Wisconsin.[
In 2001, Gillen, by then an accomplished sculptor, was commissioned to create and cast a statue of ]Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), which ...
's iconic cap tossing scene from the opening of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...
'', which was set in a fictional television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the eart ...
in Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
.[ Gillen was chosen from a group of 21 sculptors who had submitted designs for Moore's statue.][ Gillen was elated to be chosen to create Moore's likeness in bronze, telling the '' Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' in 2001, "It's so enjoyable, really, to be portraying a woman...Sculptors are very seldom called upon to depict a woman of prominence. This is all very refreshing."][ However, the logistics of creating the Moore's trademark hat throw proved to be a challenge for Gillen to replicate.][ Gillen had to re-create the cap tossing to figure out how best to depict the hat, noting, "I actually practiced throwing the hat to find out when it left the hand...It comes out between 75 and 80 degrees on the slant. So I’m showing it at just between 78 and 80 degrees, with the hat just touching the fingers of her extended right hand, and the thumb open...I'm not trying to do anything tricky or silly — suspending wires or attaching it to a building or pole. I thought this would be a good way to achieve the effect."][
Gillen's statue was dedicated at the ]Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall is a twelve-block portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is the shopping and dining district of the city, and also a pedestrian mall and transit mall. Along with Hennepin A ...
, a pedestrian walkway
A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English), footpath in Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland, or footway, is a path along the side of a street, highway, terminals. Usually constructed of concrete, pavers, brick, stone ...
in downtown Minneapolis, in 2002 with Moore in attendance.[ According to Gillen's daughter, the Mary Tyler Moore statue remained her favorite piece from her portfolio.][ The statue on display at the Minneapolis Visitor Center, as of February 2017, pending completion of renovations on the ]Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall is a twelve-block portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is the shopping and dining district of the city, and also a pedestrian mall and transit mall. Along with Hennepin A ...
.[
Though best known for her Mary Tyler Moore bronze, ]public art
Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...
by Gillen can be found on display throughout the world.[ Another of her known is a four-foot tall sculpture of ]Gertie the Duck
Gertie the Duck is an icon of Milwaukee, Wisconsin history and the subject of a bronze sculpture by American artist Gwendolyn Gillen. It was installed on the Wisconsin Avenue bridge in September 1997.
The story of her heroic efforts to hatch s ...
and her ducklings, which was installed on the Wisconsin Avenue bridge in Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
in 1997.[
Gillen also created several life-size sculptures of Father ]Joseph Kentenich
Peter Joseph Kentenich, SAC (16 November 1885 – 15 September 1968) was a Pallottine priest and founder of the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement. He is also remembered as a theologian, educator, and pioneer of a Catholic response to an array of ...
, founder of the Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
Schoenstatt Movement, which outside Schoenstatt chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
s in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
, Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Pewaukee is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. The population was 13,195 at the 2010 census. The Village of Pewaukee, which was incorporated out of the town before it incorporated as a city, is surrounded by the city.
The name of the city ...
.[
Other examples of Gillen's work include ]war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
s. Gillen designed the Wisconsin Korean War Veterans Memorial in Plover, Wisconsin
Plover is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Stevens Point, it is part of the Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,519 at the 2020 United States census.
History
An 1825 treaty establ ...
, which includes five figures, including nurses and infantrymen from the U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
and the United States Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...
.[ However, she deliberately decided not to depict any of the figures carrying weapons in the memorial.][
In 2005, Gillen was commissioned to create a memorial ]bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
* Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazin ...
of Michelle Witmer, a member of the Wisconsin National Guard
The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is t ...
killed in the Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
, which now stands at the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
.[ Witmer was the first woman to be killed in combat in the history of the ]National Guard
National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
Nat ...
and the first member of the Wisconsin National Guard to die in combat since World War II.[ Gillen originally intended to depict a serious face on Witmer's sculpture, as usually shown on a fallen soldier, until she met Witmer's family, who said she was typically smiling. In a 2005 interview with ]NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, Gillen explained her decision to redesign Witmer's memorial, "You figure there's so many military sculptures out there, and they all have the sort of same feeling to them as far as being honorable, country, duty, serious,” she said. “I mean, it’s not a light subject, but you don’t see many of them smiling. And it's not made up something – it's not something – 'Well, I want to put a smile on her.' She constantly had a smile on her. You've got young people that are dying in this war, and young people don’t go around with these serious expressions on their face."[
Another of Gillen's less serious pieces, a 16-foot medallion-shaped, ]ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
tile floor mosaic depicting a Holstein cow
Holstein Friesians (often shortened to Holsteins in North America, while the term Friesians is often used in the UK and Ireland) are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Ho ...
eating a cream puff
A profiterole (), cream puff (US), or ''chou à la crème'' () is a filled French and Italian choux pastry ball with a typically sweet and moist filling of whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be decorated or left pl ...
, was installed at the southwest entrance to the Wisconsin State Fair
The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August (occasionally beginning late July) and lasts 11 days.
History
The first W ...
in 2000. Her mosaic, funded by the state Percent for Art program, which required that the Fair spend a certain percentage on public art
Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...
, cost approximately $18,000 dollars. Gillen was an advocate for the Percent for Art program and believed it should be expanded.[ By 2014, millions of visitors, as well harsh Wisconsin winters, had caused the mosaic to crack and crumble, necessitating makeshift concrete patches.][ Restoration work was needed to restore Gillen's bovine-cream puff tile mosaic, though she was suffering from deteriorating health at the time and could not make the repairs herself.][
An enthusiastic ]anglophile
An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents.
Etymology
The word is derived from the Latin word ''Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frien ...
, Gwen Gillen was a frequent guest of Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...
and his former wife, Jenni, at their home in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.[ She created a bronze ]bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
* Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazin ...
of Hopkins, which is now on display at a London theatre.[
]
Later life
Gillen resided at the Madison Heights Senior Community in Madison, Wisconsin, from 2013 until her death in January 2017.[ She died from complications of ]dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
at the Madison Heights Senior Community hospice unit on January 27, 2017, at the age of 76.[ She was survived by her older sister, Carol Chapman, and her daughter, Alessandra Gillen.][ Gillen was predeceased by her husband, Ronald, who died in 2012, and their son, Christopher Gillen, who died in 2015.][
Gillen's death occurred just two days after the death of ]Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), which ...
, the subject of Gillen's best known sculpture, who died in Connecticut on January 25, 2017.[ As news of Mary Tyler Moore's death broke, more than 150 people gathered near Gillen's statue in Minneapolis and tossed their hats in the air in tribute to the actress and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillen, Gwendolyn
1941 births
2017 deaths
American women sculptors
Sculptors from Massachusetts
Sculptors from Wisconsin
American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
People from Quincy, Massachusetts
People from Hustisford, Wisconsin
21st-century American women