Susan Hewitt, Penelope Lee, Melbourne, Women, Great Petition, Public Art, Women's Suffrage, 2008
Summary
‘Great Petition’ is a white scroll-like sculpture by Susan Hewitt and Penelope Lee, commemorating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Victoria. The plinth, designed in consideration of the sloping site, is made of bluestone, grounding the artwork in a material fundamental to Melbourne. Alongside the sculpture is a didactic panel written by Australian historian Professor Marilyn Lake, explaining the history of women’s suffrage in Victoria. Sited on Burston Reserve, near Parliament House, the sculpture was unveiled on 3 December 2008.
‘Great Petition’ is a decidedly contemporary interpretation of the ‘Monster Petition’, an appeal with more than 30,000 signatures that was presented to Parliament of Victoria in 1891 as evidence of the widespread support to give Victorian women the right to vote. Female suffrage was finally granted in 1908, with the passage of the Adult Suffrage Act.
‘Great Petition’ was commissioned by the State Government of Victoria in collaboration with the City of Melbourne. Both the sculpture and the maquette for the sculpture are held in the collection.
