Assembly and finishing of the new sculpture is under way after casting in the studio of Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart (Courtesy of Emily June Pullen).
Around the turn of the 20th century, popular Longwood English professor J.M. Grainger suggested that Joan of Arc, the 15th-century French heroine, would be a good choice as an inspirational figure for students. The idea stuck, and, with the gift of “Joanie on the Stony” by the Class of 1914 and a subsequent purchase in 1927 of Anna Hyatt Huntington’s statue quickly nicknamed Joanie on the Pony,” Joan of Arc became an irreplaceable part of campus.
Just more than a century after the first statue arrived on campus, the Master Plan envisioned Longwood installing a new likeness of Joan of Arc in tribute to her enduring legacy on campus, and now that vision is close to becoming a reality.
The new cast bronze sculpture, which will anchor the southern end of Brock Commons, is by renowned Scottish neoclassical sculptor Alexander Stoddart.
The figure of Joan of Arc is holding a flag— which she is said to have preferred to a sword—and dressed in traditional military armor of the period. She will be surrounded by a limestone exedra that includes a bench and trees that frame her stately figure.
Construction on the exedra is ongoing, and the Joan of Arc statue is expected to be installed by mid-August.
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