Lt. Gov. Crouch, OCRA, Indiana Humanities highlight completed Preserving Women’s Legacy Grant projects 

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and Indiana Humanities today released a video on the completed Preserving Women’s Legacy Grant program and projects. Three more videos will be released throughout March on Peru, Angola and Michigan City’s PWLG projects. Grants were awarded to these three Main Street communities in 2020 in an effort to highlight and preserve women’s history. 

“It has been an honor to participate in this initiative and learn more about these influential Hoosier women,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch, who serves as chair of the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission. “Even if you aren’t able to travel to see these public art pieces, I hope everyone takes a moment to watch these videos and celebrate the work and lives of Sojourner, Naomi and Marie.” 

Preserving Women’s Legacy Grant projects support historic preservation work, public art and other projects that commemorate Indiana women’s history and promote visits to Main Street communities. The first of the four videos to be released discusses how the program began and the process that followed. Click here to view the video. 

“Angola, Peru and Michigan City took this program and ran with it, creating moving sculptures in their communities to celebrate women in Indiana history,” said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner. “Now, more Hoosiers are able to see the impact of these projects on their communities and Indiana through these videos.” 

The following three videos to be released over the next month will cover each individual PWLG project and highlight the effect on the community and Hoosier women. 

“We are proud of this collaborative work to celebrate women’s history and Main Street communities through the Preserving Women’s Legacy Grants program with Lt. Governor Crouch and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs,” said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. “These projects will continue to share stories of Indiana’s suffrage movement with Hoosiers across our state for years to come.” 

The Downtown Angola Coalition used the PWLG grant to create a life size sculpture of abolitionist Sojourner Truth. Michigan City Mainstreet Association used their grant funding to create a series of sculptures in honor of Naomi Bowman Talbert Anderson, a suffragist, civil rights activist, writer and poet. Rediscover Downtown Peru used the funding to create a life-size statue of Marie Stuart Edwards as a young teen standing by her bike on the grounds of the Peru Public Library.