Carving History

Join the Museum of the City of New York, The Heckscher Museum of Art, and the Victorian Society New York for an exploration of 19th-century sculpture and public space through the work and life of Emma Stebbins and her partner, actor Charlotte Cushman, centering Angel of the Waters at Bethesda Fountain as both a monumental artwork and a feminist intervention. The discussion considers Stebbins’s sculptural practice within the material, social, and political realities of her time while examining how her partnership with Cushman enabled alternative models of artistic and personal life. By treating Bethesda Fountain as a living site rather than a static monument, the conversation invites reflection on figuration, visibility, and the ongoing challenge of making sculpture that remains emotionally and politically resonant in public space.

About the Speakers: 
Heather Arnet, Executive Director & CEO, joined The Heckscher Museum in 2022. She has a B.A. in Literary & Cultural Studies from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard University Extension School. In tandem with organizational strategic planning, Heather has spearheaded significant expansion of bilingual Spanish-English language education programs and interpretive materials, American Sign Language availability, materials for the blind and partially-sighted, and is advancing community-centric initiatives serving Huntington’s diverse populations.

Karli Wurzelbacher, PhD, is Chief Curator at The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, New York, where she has curated more than a dozen exhibitions on American art. In addition to curating Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History and editing the accompanying publication, she has published on artists including George Grosz, Courtney M. Leonard, Louise Nevelson, Joseph Stella, and Jack Whitten. Prior to joining the Heckscher Museum, she worked at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio.

Kate Culkin, Ph.D., is a professor of history at Bronx Community College and on the faculty of the Biography and Memoir Masters program at the CUNY Graduate Center. She is the author of Harriet Hosmer: A Cultural Biography and Emerson's Daughters: Ellen Tucker Emerson, Edith Emerson Forbes, and their Family Legacy.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.