Committee flags depiction and research concerns for Elizabeth Freeman bust; says it will work with chosen artist

During the Senate Art Committee’s working session, several members raised representational concerns about how Elizabeth Freeman might be portrayed and asked that the committee be able to work with finalists to address historical accuracy and tone.

LaMerchie Frazier, a member of the State House Art Commission, said proposals sometimes reflect racialized conventions and cited an example: “There's this worried look that is attributable to the historic mythology about black people,” she said, arguing the committee should expect to work with artists on expression and historical research.

Committee members and staff agreed. Chair Sen. Julian Cyr said the narrative portion of members’ evaluations should include such concerns and that, if the committee selects an artist, staff and committee members will collaborate with the artist on details such as expression, attire, and historical likeness. Susan Cross and others suggested the committee could ask finalists for additional materials — for example, a clay model — to clarify how a design would read in the Senate chamber.

Bianca Hoffman, Senate counsel, confirmed the RFP and procurement process allow the committee to request additional information from applicants and to extend timelines if necessary. Members cautioned that requesting substantial additional work (models or revisions) could lengthen the schedule, and staff said they will gather information on typical production timelines before asking for extra materials.

The committee emphasized it will use both the numeric scores and narrative comments from experts on the panel to guide any follow-up requests and revisions. The committee set a procedural deadline for member scores (Dec. 8) and a deliberation meeting (Dec. 9 at 1 p.m.) to consider both scores and narrative feedback.