Typical tourist hubbub around Fearless Girl, who stands facing Charging Bull, about 20 feet away. File photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib
Next stop for Fearless Girl and her gutsy, hands-on-hips stance: The New York Stock Exchange.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday that the statue, which has stood its ground against Charging Bull at Bowling Green since March of last year, will be installed in front of the Exchange, three blocks away. “This move to a new location will improve access for visitors and ensure that her message and impact continues to be heard,” de Blasio said in a statement.
State Street Global Advisors commissioned sculptor Kristan Visbal to create the work for a one-week stay in commemoration of International Women’s Day. But the statue’s popularity led de Blasio to give Fearless Girl a full year at the site.
The scene around Fearless Girl on lower Broadway. 360 Photo by Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib (Click and drag your cursor to see the full 360-degree view.)
The scene around "Fearless Girl" on Lower Broadway in New York City. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA [1]
Together, Charging Bull and Fearless Girl became such a crowded tourist draw to the traffic island at the park’s northern end that the area was seen as a safety hazard. Not long after its installation, Jessica Lappin, president of the Downtown Alliance, called for both statues to move farther south, to the wider part of the island. And Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor of Charging Bull, wanted to see the girl removed altogether, claiming she turns his work into a negative symbol.
Now, it appears, most everyone should be pleased.
"I am thrilled Fearless Girl will remain in New York, inspiring global collaboration between genders for better decisions, and an improved environment at every strata of society," Visbal said in a statement.
"Her new location is both safer and a fitting and natural home for her," Lappin said.
The statue is due to be moved by the end of the year.
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[1] https://theta360.com/s/qmbrIgZm1ajwjGC2YDGGrDlEu