Great Petition 2008

HEWITT, Susan; LEE, Penelope

Registration number

1291344

Artist/maker

HEWITT, Susan; LEE, Penelope

Title

Great Petition

Production date

2008

Medium

steel, bluestone

Dimensions (H x W x D)

20 m (length); height variable

Credit line

Commissioned by the Victorian government through Arts Victoria, the Community Support Fund and the Office of Women''''s Policy in collaboration with the City of Melbourne, 2008.
City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection

Keywords

Susan Hewitt, Penelope Lee, Womens Suffrage, Great Petition, Melbourne, Victorian Women's Suffrage Public Art Commission, Brecknock Consulting, 2008

Summary

Location: Macarthur Street, Burston Reserve, near Parliament House (Aka Women’s Suffrage) A white scroll-like structure, 20 metres long and imposing on the small reserve, 'Great Petition' was created by Susan Hewitt and Penelope Lee to commemorate the 100th anniversary of female suffrage in Victoria. The plinth, designed in consideration of the sloping site, is made of bluestone, grounding the artwork in an archetypal Melbourne material. Alongside the sculpture is a didactic panel by Australian historian Professor Marilyn Lake, explaining the history of women's suffrage in Victoria. Launched on 3 December 2008, 'Great Petition' constitutes a contemporary interpretation of the Monster Petition – a petition with more than 30,000 signatures presented to Parliament in 1891 as evidence of the widespread support to give women Victorians voting rights. Female suffrage was finally granted in 1908 with the passage of the Adult Suffrage Act. Supporters: Victorian Women's Trust and Dulux