Glenna Goodacre

Glenna Goodacre
Name	Glenna Goodacre
Birth name	Glenna Maxey
Birth date	28 April 1939
Birth place	Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
Death date	13 April 2020
Death place	Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
Nationality	American
Known for	Sculpture, coin design
Notable works	Vietnam Women's Memorial, Sacagawea dollar
Education	Colorado College, Art Students League of New York
Awards	Sandy Montgomery Award, Texas Medal of Arts

Glenna Goodacre was an American sculptor renowned for her monumental public works and coin designs that captured the human spirit with emotional depth and historical accuracy. Her career, spanning over four decades, is most famously marked by the creation of the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C. and the obverse design for the Sacagawea dollar. A Fellow of the National Sculpture Society, Goodacre received numerous accolades, including the Texas Medal of Arts, for her significant contributions to American art and culture.

Early life and education

Glenna Maxey was born in Lubbock, Texas, and developed an early interest in art, which was encouraged by her family. She initially pursued painting, studying fine arts at Colorado College before shifting her focus entirely to sculpture. To further her training, she attended the prestigious Art Students League of New York, where she studied under notable sculptors like John Hovannes. Her early work was influenced by the figurative tradition and the dramatic landscapes of the American Southwest, which would later become a constant backdrop for her life and career.

Career and major works

Goodacre established a successful studio, first in Lubbock and later in Santa Fe, New Mexico, becoming a prominent figure in the region's vibrant art scene. Her portrait sculptures and public monuments gained national attention for their sensitive realism and narrative power. Among her other significant works are the Irish Potato Famine Memorial in Philadelphia, the Pony Express statue in Sacramento, California, and a bronze of President Ronald Reagan installed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Her ability to render compelling likenesses led to numerous private commissions of prominent figures from the worlds of politics, business, and entertainment.

Vietnam Women's Memorial

In 1993, Goodacre's design was selected for the Vietnam Women's Memorial, a pivotal addition to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. The sculpture depicts three uniformed women tending to a wounded soldier, honoring the over 265,000 women who served during the Vietnam War, primarily as nurses. Dedicated in November 1993, the monument was the result of a prolonged effort led by former Army nurse Diane Carlson Evans and the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project. It stands as a powerful tribute to the compassion and sacrifice of military women and is considered one of Goodacre's most emotionally resonant works.

Sacagawea dollar design

Following a national competition, Goodacre was chosen by the United States Mint and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee to design the obverse of the new Sacagawea dollar coin, first minted in 2000. Her design features a portrait of the Shoshone interpreter Sacagawea with her infant son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, on her back. Goodacre used a contemporary Shoshone college student, Randy'L He-dow Teton, as a model for the figure. The coin's reverse, featuring a soaring eagle, was designed by sculptor Thomas D. Rogers Sr.. The Sacagawea dollar remains in circulation and is celebrated for its artistic representation of a key historical figure from the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Awards and recognition

Goodacre's work earned her widespread acclaim and numerous honors. She was elected a Fellow of the National Sculpture Society and received the society's prestigious Sandy Montgomery Award. In 2004, she was a recipient of the Texas Medal of Arts. Her sculptures are held in the permanent collections of institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Her contributions to numismatics were also recognized by organizations like the American Numismatic Association.

Personal life and death

In 1961, she married attorney Gary Goodacre, with whom she had two children, Tim and Jill. The family lived in Lubbock before Goodacre moved her studio to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1983, drawn by the area's artistic community and light. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in her later years. Glenna Goodacre died on April 13, 2020, at her home in Santa Fe. Her legacy endures through her iconic public sculptures and coinage, which continue to educate and inspire viewers about pivotal chapters in American history.

Category:American sculptors Category:American women sculptors Category:1939 births Category:2020 deaths