by Anthony Palmer
Chief Editor
Veterans and community project organizers from Hamilton and Clermont County gathered at the Artclectic Gallery to meet Toledo-based sculptor Austen Brantley during his recent visit on September 16. The young artist discussed his vision for his upcoming Women's Veteran Memorial project arriving at Eden Park in 2027.
Brantley is a self-taught artist from Detroit who has earned national acclaim for his numerous public sculptures across the United States. His work has been featured in Forbes, FAD Magazine, and the Detroit Free Press, among other high-profile publications.
Austen Brantley
Photo: Kenny Karpov
Project lead and NSCDA representative Kathryn Dierckes said they found Brantley through a multi-step application process that involved several art panelists and judges. “We had 66 submissions, and we ended up with an Ohio artist, isn’t that amazing?” Dierckes said while introducing Brantley at Artclectic. The process required artists to submit three to five pieces of work, a statement of interest, and a general CV.
Brantley works on the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial.
Art critics describe Brantley as a sculptor who communicates resilience, community legacy, and black excellence through his public art installations. He has completed several large-scale sculptures in the last decade, including the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial in Rouge Park, Detroit, Michigan, and The First Five memorial at East Tennessee State University. But for Brantley, the Women’s Veteran Memorial at Eden Park lets him step outside his most common themes and explore new creative territory.
Austen Brantley and Katheryn Dierckes at Artclectic.
“What I really admire about that museum is that it has so many complex stories in it," Brantley said. "There’s a statue done by Edmonia Lewis. She's a black sculpture from the early 1900s… usually an African American artist is placed in a separate section of a museum, but hers was placed next to all of the other classical marble sculptures. The sculpture was of two Native Americans, and it shows her aptitude to do more than just African American art… so this is me showing how much more I can do. It’s showing the skill level and craftsmanship, and that’s one of many things I like about this project.”
Veterans and community leaders gather at Artclectic Gallery.
The installation will depict women from four distinct periods of American military history, standing at ground level at about five feet six inches tall. The memorial's placement will encourage visitors to walk up and directly interact with the statues. Dierckes said Brantley’s interactive design element stood out to judges during the approval process.
“You can walk up to them, you can look them in the eye, you can put a hand on her shoulder, you can put a hand on her hand. You can have an experience with this sculpture. It does not look anything like traditional sculpture… [the women] are engaged with each other, and you are invited to engage with them.” Dierckes explained.
Brantley told Connect Clermont that partnering with 1001 Colors and NSCDA has given him the resources he needed to accurately depict women veterans with dignity.
“It's been very intricate in defining the details,” Brantley said of the collaboration. “We’ve gone over the design a lot, and I really like that because my best commissions are when there is a lot of involvement with the committees.”
Austen Brantley with Southwest Ohio veterans.
At his workshop, Brantley uses models of people he knows who he believes capture the essence of his message. Curators at the
Women’s Memorial in DC reviewed the four women on the sculpture for fine levels of historical accuracy, from their equipment to the placement of buttons on the lapel.
Brantley will continue to work on the Women’s Veteran Memorial sculpture until its unveiling on National Women Veterans Recognition Day, June 12, 2027.
Top left to right: Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, Maj. Ariana G. Savino
Bottom left to right: Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, Sgt. Angel Rampersad
The commission comes at a poignant time in the year as the United States reengages in another armed conflict in the Middle East. The war with Iran has already caused the deaths of several United States servicewomen, including:
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Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, wife and mother.
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Maj. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington, pilot and beloved friend.
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Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, daughter and sister.
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Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of Queens, New York, daughter and musician.
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And other servicewomen across the United States.
The stories of these women will be as much a part of the upcoming memorial as the countless others who served across every branch of the U.S. military.
When asked if the current conflict had an impact on his work, Brantley told reporters:
“I see them not just as soldiers — the women that I’m sculpting — I see them as mothers, sisters, daughters… and what’s really important about this design is that they're holding something really important together for all of us. It’s something that we can’t really see, and we have to fill in, and I think that’s what's most important to me.”
Brantley's sculpture will stand adjacent to the existing memorial plaque at Eden Park.
Several VVA veterans attended the meet-and-greet at the Artclectic Gallery. Brantley spent time with them and heard their stories.
“The average age of the Vietnam-era veterans is 76,” Lee Watson, Marine Veteran, said. “We’re not going to be here, but that statue will be there… As long as the people are coming to see the women, they are going to see the Vietnam-era veterans, so we owe you all a vote of gratitude.”
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