'Rise up, women' (Emmeline Pankhurst, 1858-1928)

Bronze Age Sculpture Casting Foundry and Hazel Reeves

About this resource

How can we tell stories through sculpture?

The following lesson ideas were developed by sculptor Hazel Reeves. They explore how Hazel's sculpture of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst tells a story through its stance and describes Hazel's process, from initial drawings to final fabrication. Students are encouraged to develop their own idea for a sculpture that tells a story through its pose.

This Art and Design and History resource offers a series of activities that can be used together as a lesson plan or as individual components to integrate into your own scheme of work. It can be used to:

provide insight into the development of a public sculpture
start the initial stages of a sculpture-making project
develop research skills
spark discussion of representation and storytelling through sculpture

It was devised for Key Stage 3/Level 3 but may also suit Key Stage 4/Level 4.

National Curriculum for England

Art and design
- Produce creative work, explore ideas
- Become proficient in sculpture and design techniques
- Evaluate and analyse creative works
- Know about great artists and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms

Northern Ireland Curriculum

Art and design
- Researching, gathering and interpreting information from digital sources
- Developing creative thinking skills and personal creative outcomes through investigating, realising, designing and making

Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence

Art and design
- I have experimented with a range of media and technologies to create images and objects, using my understanding of their properties (EXA 3-02a)
- While working through a design process in response to a design brief, I can develop and communicate imaginative design solutions (EXA 3-06a)
- I can respond to the work of artists and designers by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others' work (EXA 3-07a)
- By working through a design process in response to a design brief, I can develop and communicate imaginative and original design solutions (EXA 4-06a)

National Curriculum for Wales (2008)

Art and design
- Students use their knowledge about the work of other artists to enrich and inform their work
- Students explore, experiment with and apply the visual, tactile and sensory language of art

New Curriculum for Wales (2022)

Expressive Arts

Exploring the expressive arts is essential to developing artistic skills and knowledge and it enables learners to become curious and creative individuals.

Progression step 4:

- I can explore and experiment with my own and others’ creative ideas, demonstrating increasingly complex technical control, innovation, independent thinking and originality to develop my work with confidence, being able to explain my reasons behind choices made and evaluate their effectiveness on my creative work.

- I can explore creative work, understanding the personal, social, cultural and historical context, including the period in which it was created.

- I can investigate and understand how meaning is communicated through the ideas of other artists and performers.

Progression step 5:

- I can explore and experiment with my own creative ideas and those of others, demonstrating technical control, innovation, independent thinking and originality, showing confidence to take risks and developing resilience in order to overcome creative challenges.

- I can investigate and analyse how creative work is used to represent and celebrate personal, social and cultural identities.

- I can independently research the purpose and meaning of a wide range of creative work and consider how they can impact on different audiences.

Responding and reflecting, both as artist and audience, is a fundamental part of learning in the expressive arts.

Progression step 4:

- I can effectively evaluate my own creative work and that of others showing increasing confidence to recognise and articulate strengths, and to demonstrate resilience and determination to improve.

- I can evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of artistic techniques in producing meaning.

Progression step 5:

- I can critically and thoughtfully respond to and analyse the opinion and creative influences of others in order to independently shape and develop my own creative work.

- I can purposefully apply knowledge and understanding of context when evaluating my own creative work and creative work by other people and from other places and times.

- I can critically evaluate the way artists use discipline-specific skills and techniques to create and communicate ideas.

Creating combines skills and knowledge, drawing on the senses, inspiration and imagination.

Progression step 4:

- I can use my experimentation and investigation to manipulate creative work with purpose and intent when communicating my ideas.

- I can purposefully use my design skills and apply a range of solutions to clarify and refine final creative ideas.

- I can draw upon my experiences and knowledge to inform and develop strategies to overcome creative challenges with imagination and resilience.

- I can confidently consider myself, others, audience, participants and matters of intellectual property when creating work.

Progression step 5:

- I can synthesise and apply experience, knowledge and understanding with sophistication and intent when communicating my ideas.

- I can consider artistic intent, purpose and audience in an informed way when performing, presenting and marketing my creative work.

- I can use effective strategies to take risks with my own creative work and can display resilience to overcome creative challenges.

Humanities

Enquiry, exploration and investigation inspire curiosity about the world, its past, present and future

Progression step 4:

- I can use my experiences, knowledge and beliefs to generate ideas independently and frame enquiries, using a range of research approaches when required.

Events and human experiences are complex and are perceived, interpreted and represented in different ways

Progression step 4:

- I can express, discuss and justify my personal opinions and understand that interpretations can change over time, especially in the light of new evidence or when approached from a different perspective.

- I can infer and evaluate opinions, viewpoints and interpretations from a range of sources and evidence in order to develop my own informed judgements.

Progression step 5:

- I can appreciate a variety of perspectives on the world, recognise the limitations of my own perspective and have begun to challenge my values and opinions.

- I can analyse, explain and evaluate the validity of opinions, viewpoints and interpretations, considering how they are shaped and influenced by a variety of factors, and how they can change over time. Subsequently, I can develop my own informed and justified judgements.

Human societies are complex and diverse and are shaped by human actions and beliefs

Progression step 4:

- I can use my knowledge and understanding to analyse and explain how different communities and societies have changed over time, in my locality and in Wales, as well as in the wider world.

- I can explain and analyse the causes of a range of events and changes in the past and present, and can appreciate how causes can often be interconnected and differ in importance.

- I can explain and analyse the effects and consequences of a range of events and changes in the past and present, and understand that they differ in importance.

- I can explain and compare how communities have been shaped by the past and I can explain how a range of factors contribute to this.

- I have an understanding of a range of governance systems and how people have been represented at local, national and global levels, including how systems of government in Wales operate both now and in the past, and I can compare and explain the differences between these systems.

Progression step 5:

- I can give comprehensive explanations and analyses of the characteristics of different periods of time, recognising the dynamics of continuity and change over periods of varying lengths in order to develop an increasingly detailed chronological map of the past.

- I can use my detailed understanding of the nature and extent of change and continuity to explain and analyse how communities and societies have adapted and changed in my locality and in Wales, as well as in the wider world. I can also use this knowledge to consider possible futures.

- I can critically evaluate the consequences and significance of events and changes in a range of societies in the past and present.

- I can evaluate and compare how communities have been shaped by the past, and I can analyse and explain how a range of factors contribute to this.

- I can compare and evaluate local, national and global governance systems, including the systems of government and democracy in Wales, considering their impact on societies in the past and present, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens in Wales.

Informed, self-aware citizens engage with the challenges and opportunities that face humanity, and are able to take considered and ethical action

Progression step 4:

- I can explain and analyse why injustice and inequality exist and can do so in a range of contexts.

- I can explain the importance of the roles played by individuals, societies, social movements and governments in defending people’s human rights.

- I can explain the difference between wants, needs and rights, and why some people are denied their rights.

- I can explain the connections between past, present and anticipated challenges and opportunities faced by people in my locality and in Wales, as well as in the wider world.

- I can analyse and explain that there are a range of factors that influence my and other people’s behaviours, actions and decisions, and that these include ethical and moral judgements and viewpoints.

- I can make decisions, identify opportunities and plan appropriate action to make my voice heard.

- I can analyse and explain the impact of decisions made by individuals, local, national or global governance, and non-governmental organisations on people, their rights and the environment.

Progression step 5:

- I can evaluate the underlying causes of injustice and inequality in a wide range of contexts in the past and present, and how they impact on human rights issues.

- I can evaluate the causes of human rights violations and the various factors that undermine or support people’s rights.

- I can explain and evaluate the difference between wants, needs and rights.

- I can evaluate the importance of the roles played by individuals, societies, social movements and governments in respecting and defending people’s human rights.

- I can explain the importance of the role played by groups, governments, businesses and non-governmental organisations in the creation of a sustainable future, and how they impact on people and their rights and on the environment.

Emmeline Pankhurst

In December 2018, a sculpture of Emmeline Pankhurst, 'Rise up, women' (Emmeline Pankhurst, 1858–1928), was unveiled in the city of Manchester. In a public vote, Pankhurst was chosen ahead of Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, the anti-racism campaigner Louise Da-Cocodia and Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson. At the time of its unveiling, it was the first and only statue of a woman in Manchester that wasn't of Queen Victoria. This short video of the public unveiling of the statue gives a little more information about Pankhurst and her legacy.

Film credit: Huckleberry Films and the Our Emmeline Project

Emmeline Pankhurst's Arrest at Buckingham Palace

Born in Moss Side, Manchester in 1858, Emmeline Pankhurst was a key member of the UK suffragette movement that campaigned for women's right to vote. She co-founded and led the Women's Social and Political Union, a movement that became dedicated to civil disobedience and direct action. Their motto was 'deeds, not words.'

Watch and discuss: Emmeline's pose

In this video, Hazel Reeves discusses the statue's pose and explains how she worked with model Sarah Jenkins to capture the pose during the sculpture's development. At 2 minutes 22 seconds, Hazel demonstrates how to copy the pose, so you might want to clear some space so the class can get up and follow Hazel's instructions.

After watching the video, discuss:

What did it feel like to get into Emmeline's pose?
Could you imagine yourself at the centre of a large, noisy crowd?
What story do you think the statue is telling?
How does Emmeline's stance help to tell the story?
Is it significant that she is standing atop a kitchen chair?

'Rise up, women' (Emmeline Pankhurst, 1858–1928)

Bronze Age Sculpture Casting Foundry and Hazel Reeves

The sculpture's story

After Pankhurst was chosen as the subject for a statue, the public selected a design by award-winning sculptor Hazel Reeves. Hazel described the story and the intention behind the sculpture she created:

'As a sculptor, I can't rely on words. My stories need to be conveyed through the sculpture itself and its surroundings. From every angle, the statue needs to engage the passing crowds: to make them stop, walk all around it, have a selfie with it, be inspired to find out more.

I capture Emmeline as the courageous, determined and dignified activist, at a pivotal point – 1908/1909 – in the struggle for gaining the right to vote (women's suffrage). Angered by the government repeatedly breaking their promises, enough was enough, time for action. The suffragettes are on the streets, ringing bells, summoning people from their homes and offices. Someone grabs a kitchen chair and the five-foot Emmeline climbs atop. We catch her mid-rousing speech, arm-outstretched, urging women to rise up and demand their right to vote.'

Hazel Reeves' process

Hazel Reeves explains the development of this sculpture, from initial drawings to final fabrication.

Research

Hazel began the process of creating the sculpture with research:

'I read Emmeline Pankhurst's fascinating autobiography, My Own Story. It's here that she talks of the suffragettes' rallying-cry, "Rise up, women".

At this stage I start collecting photos of Emmeline and other suffragettes, to inspire me.'

'Can you guess why I found each of these images particularly inspiring? Five or six of these images are of Emmeline Pankhurst herself – can you spot which?'

Drawing a design

Gestural drawings for 'Our Emmeline' statue

After her research, Hazel moved to observation and drawing:

'Before I even do any drawings, I often work with a live model, dressed-up, to try out poses. Then I start to put my ideas down on paper before I start sculpting a small model (or maquette).'

Creating a maquette

Hazel started working in three dimensions by making a maquette:

'I start with a rough maquette in wax or clay, before I work on the final detailed maquette, which is usually cast in bronze. Here you can see the rough maquette of Our Emmeline I made in wax and photographed from all sides. Again, I have focused on the gesture of the statue rather than the detail, which comes later.'

Scaling up

The maquette next to the full-size armature

'The next stage is scaling it up to the full size – 230 cm tall including the chair. See the tiny Emmeline maquette next to the metal armature for the full-size statue. What was the next step? Applying half a tonne of clay to the armature! This final clay model of Emmeline was then cast in bronze for the final public sculpture.'

Research: what stories are other statues telling us?

Ask your students to select a statue that they believe depicts an interesting story, either from the images below, or by searching through images of statues on Art UK. Get them to consider what story their statue is telling, and to also have a go at adopting the statue's stance – does this help them understand what the sculptor is trying to achieve?

The examples below include Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere, a model of the statue of the suffragist Millicent Fawcett (1847–1929) by Gillian Wearing. The final statue was unveiled in Parliament Square, London, in 2018.

There is also another of Hazel Reeves' sculptures, The Cracker Packers. These figures celebrate the lives of working women – the 'cracker packers' of the artwork's title, who worked in the Carr's (now McVitie's) biscuit factory in Carlisle. Current and retired factory workers helped her to design the statue pose during a workshop. It was unveiled on International Women's Day, 8th March 2018.

Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere 2018 Gillian Wearing (b.1963)
The Cracker Packers 2018 Hazel Reeves
Youth with Split Apple 2005 Kenny Hunter (b.1962)
Maevadi Karnchanachari Navapan and Karnitha Karnchanachari 2018 Etienne Millner (b.1954)
Alan Turing (1912–1954) 2004 John William Mills (b.1933)
Moravian Woman and Child 2009 or before Peter Walker (b.1973) and Castle Fine Arts
Ambika Paul (1963–1968) 1994 Shenda Amery (b.1937)
Kindertransport – The Arrival 2006 Frank Meisler (1925–2018)
'Rise up, women' (Emmeline Pankhurst, 1858–1928) 2018 Hazel Reeves and Bronze Age Sculpture Casting Foundry

Activity: design a statue

Use this quote from Hazel Reeves to prompt your class to create their own statues:

'When I was young, I never noticed statues on the streets. Why? Because they weren't relevant to me. I didn't see someone like me. It was only when I became a sculptor I started to notice statues. And then I became much more aware of whose faces I didn't see celebrated in bronze. Who do you think is missing?

If you were to commission a statue of someone, who would it be? And why do you think they deserve a statue?'

Your class can follow a similar process to Hazel to create an initial design for a statue. The stages may look like this:

Choose a person you think deserves to have a statue and do some research about them
Collect images of the person that captures their movements, gestures and different poses
Work with a partner to try out some options for the statue's pose and sketch some ideas
Consider details to include on the sculpture such as clothing, accessories, and any other features (for example, Emmeline's chair)

Hazel's top tips:

'Show another student your favourite pose for your statue. Do they understand the story you are trying to tell? Is there something interesting for them to see from every direction, as they walk around you?

In your statue design, include additional details that help to tell the story. For example, with my Emmeline Pankhurst statue, I included a brooch at her throat that was awarded to those suffragettes who had been on hunger strike in prison.'

Create a card maquette

To get a better sense of how the statue will look in three dimensions, task your students with completing four drawings of their proposed statue on A4 card, from different views – from the front, left-side, right-side and back. They may want to take turns acting as a model for a partner while they draw.

Students can stick their four drawings together to create a four-sided, standing drawing of their statue (they may need to cut away some of the excess card around their drawings to do this).

Extension activity

For a longer project, you can work with your students to create a small maquette of their design. The materials required are:

a modelling material like air-drying clay or soft wax
an armature to support the modelling material (more details below)
modelling or clay carving tools (plastic/wooden school sets will work well)

The armature can be made of flexible aluminium wire attached to a wooden base or sections of wire pierced into a ball of aluminium foil. It may even be formed of something simpler like bamboo skewers. An example of a simple armature made out of wire can be seen in our clay modelling demonstration video.

Once all of the students have completed their maquettes, ask them to share their design with others and explain the thinking behind their design and the choices they made.

Watch: 'Rise Up, Women' by students of Chorlton High School

Hazel Reeves: artist website

National Portrait Gallery: Portraits and films about the Pankhursts

British Library: Explore the campaign for women's suffrage

People's History Museum: Votes for women learning resources

Deeds Not Words: commemorating the women's suffrage movement through statues 11 December 2018, Anthony McIntosh
Fighting for representation: suffragettes and art vandalism 8 March 2016, Victoria Ibbett
Artists putting women 'in their place': from the Victorian adulteress to Serena Williams 14 September 2018, Chiedza Mhondoro
Art UK Home School: who's on the pedestal? 30 July 2020, Sam Ayre
Art UK Home School: speedy experimental drawing 4 June 2020, Selina Levinson Drake
What is sculpture anyway? 21 February 2019, Katey Goodwin and Lydia Figes
Monuments, statues and street furniture: the wonderful world of public sculpture 18 February 2019, Anthony McIntosh
Mapping cultural memory through public monuments 8 September 2017, Anthony McIntosh
Sculpture Counts: a card game to play at home! 9 April 2020, Catherine Mummery
Remembrance in bronze and stone: memorials of the First World War 7 November 2018, Anthony McIntosh