STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The latest art installation at the Corporate Park in Bloomfield will inspire and empower thousands of students each day on their way to school.
On Friday, the Nicotra Group, which owns the 415-acre Corporate Park on the West Shore of Staten Island, unveiled “Girl Power,” an outdoor sculpture inspired by the #SeeHer movement, which aims to ensure equal and accurate representations of all women and girls.
“We read a release from the ‘See Her’ organization that said, ‘A recent survey showed that 73% of Asian women feel persisting stereotypes are the biggest barrier to gender equality,’ and we thought about what we could do to help marginalized populations feel hopeful -- and feel seen,” said Richard Nicotra.
The sculpture shows four girls of varying ethnicities working together to hoist a massive 14-foot elephant roughly 20 feet into the air, meant to inspire all young girls that they can achieve anything through hard work and dedication.
The sculpture, created by New York City artist Zaq Landsberg, is located near the entrance of Corporate Commons Three, which serves 2,500 students each weekday across various schools located in the complex.
“As we planned the Corporate Commons Three project, we realized there was an opportunity to inspire young women to feel that they can do anything. Too often, young girls do not have the same visible role models as young men,” said Lois and Richard Nictora.
“We worked with Zaq and our team to envision something fanciful that would catch the eye of a child, but also a piece that is deeply meaningful, to drive home the message that young women can do anything with the right tools, and for the students the right tool is education,” they added.
The sculpture features a plaque with an inspirational message for the thousands of students who will pass it each day:
“Girls can do anything if they have the right tools.
They can even make an elephant fly!
The right tool is education.
Stay in school.
Study hard.
Make the impossible happen.
With that, you too can fly!”
The Nicotras, the borough’s largest real estate developers, spoke to the emphasis their organization has placed on female leadership throughout the years, and how watching women succeed plays a crucial role in inspiring young girls.
“We believe that when women are successful, they inspire other women to achieve greatness, and we have seen that realized in our female-led management team across our companies. The message of the sculpture is for the little girls, who may not have strong female role models,” Lois Nicotra said.
“The conversation around this piece depicting strong, smart girls, will mirror the successful modeling we have seen in our Nicotra companies, where our new professionals see female managers accomplishing remarkable things and aspire to do the same,” she added.
“Girl Power” is the latest in a long line of art installations that can be found throughout the Corporate Park, including “Reclining Liberty,” which depicts a casual, lounging version of the iconic Statue of Liberty, and the “Rue des Artistes,” which features bronze sculptures of four of history’s most renowned artists.
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