New Fennville sculpture, exhibit honor women

Clock V by Kalamazoo artist Richard Light is installed at Hutchinson Park. (Courtesy of the city of Fennville)

by: Corinne Moore

Posted: Aug 7, 2023 / 02:14 PM EDT

Updated: Aug 7, 2023 / 02:26 PM EDT

FENNVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) — Next week, the city of Fennville is dedicating an outdoor sculpture that honors the women who went into the workforce during World War II. These women’s stories are part of a new exhibit on display at the Fennville District Library.

The sculpture, Clock V by Kalamazoo artist Richard Light, has already been installed at Hutchinson Park next to the post office and clock tower. It tells the story of a woman who is a “clock watcher,” checking the time often as she works and deals with family responsibilities.

“(The sculpture) is dedicated to women in our community and specifically women who went to work during World War II and helped kind of keep our canning factory open,” Katie Beemer, city administrator, explained.

“It is very reflective of the kinds of artwork that came out of the ’30s and ’40s, although it is (a) very contemporary piece,” Sharona Shapiro, co-chair of the Fennville Women’s Club, said.

The abstract sculpture will be dedicated on Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m.

Some of the women who went to work at the cannery in downtown Fennville are highlighted in the new “Her Story, Then and Now: A Snapshot of Women in Fennville” exhibit at the library.

“…It honors over 52 different women in the Fennville area,” Beemer said.

From a longstanding mayor to fire chiefs to leading businesses, the exhibit highlights the strong history of women who have had leading roles within the community. Over the past nine months, the Fennville Women’s Club worked with the library to curate the exhibit.

“The library worked very hard to meet with families, to talk to them about their stories, to look through old photographs and newspaper articles to really gather a really complete picture of these women,” Beemer said.

“This was something that we just really wanted to make sure that we got the whole community, whoever wanted to be involved, involved,” Shapiro said.

The exhibit is on display until Aug. 21 in the lower level of the Fennville District Library. Beemer says once it is removed, it will be temporarily put on display at city hall.

The library is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.