Third Joan of Arc statue coming to campus

_{Assembly and finishing of the new sculpture is under way after casting in the studio of Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart (Courtesy of Emily June Pullen).}

Around the turn of the 20th century, popular Longwood English professor J.M. Grainger suggested that Joan of Arc, the 15th-century French heroine, would be a good choice as an inspirational figure for students. The idea stuck, and, with the gift of “Joanie on the Stony” by the Class of 1914 and a subsequent purchase in 1927 of Anna Hyatt Huntington’s statue quickly nicknamed Joanie on the Pony,” Joan of Arc became an irreplaceable part of campus.

Just more than a century after the first statue arrived on campus, the Master Plan envisioned Longwood installing a new likeness of Joan of Arc in tribute to her enduring legacy on campus, and now that vision is close to becoming a reality.

The new cast bronze sculpture, which will anchor the southern end of Brock Commons, is by renowned Scottish neoclassical sculptor Alexander Stoddart.

The figure of Joan of Arc is holding a flag— which she is said to have preferred to a sword—and dressed in traditional military armor of the period. She will be surrounded by a limestone exedra that includes a bench and trees that frame her stately figure.

Construction on the exedra is ongoing, and the Joan of Arc statue is expected to be installed by mid-August.