The Fearless Girl at Wall Street
On the eve of International Women's Day on Wednesday, an asset management company installed a sculpture of a young woman facing the famous charging bull on Wall Street. That is the way the world's third-largest asset manager (State Street Global Advisors, a nearly $2.5 trillion investor) is rolling out the campaign to celebrate the power of women in leadership to life – right here in the center of our financial markets. The stunt is meant to symbolize the power of women in leadership. More specifically, it’s part of a campaign by SSGA to emphasize that companies with women in top positions perform better financially.
The sculpture, titled “The Fearless Girl,” was made by Kristen Visbal and photographed by Federica Valabrega. The guerrilla aspect of the placement is in keeping with the Charging Bull itself, which was installed without permission by artist Arturo Di Modica in 1989. It was meant to be a symbol of the strength and power of the American people following the stock-market crash of 1987. Residents fell in love with it, and the city allowed it to remain.
McCann New York, the advertising agency creating this campaign, did get a permit for the girl statue. It will be up for at least a week, says the agency, which is negotiating with the city for it to become part of the art program so she can stay longer.
Kristin Visbal, the artist who created the sculpture, sees "it as a piece that every woman can and should relate to. The bull is symbolic of every issue coming down the pike, that they can stand firm and hold their ground and deal with it." (Credits: Sculpture: Kristen Visbal - Photo: Federica Valabrega