Newton Rotary 4.2.14

Nancy Schon created the famous "Make Way for Ducklings" sculpture in the Boston Public Garden (and another one in Moscow) as well as the "Winnie the Pooh" pieces at the Newton Public Library.  She has created over a dozen prominent public sculptures, and is currently writing a book about her experiences with public sculpture.  In addition to her work with public sculpture, Nancy has created a diverse body of smaller sculpture too. 

Nancy prides herself in having work that is totally interactive. Her sculptures are available for people to touch, sit on, hug and interact with every day of the year, day or night. Nancy Schön’s major works include Make Way for Ducklings  which is located in the Boston Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts and the Tortoise and Hare which is a metaphor for the Boston Marathon and is at the finish line in Copley Square . Nancy married Donald Schön in 1952 and feels their work was very similar. Donald’s writing about “reflection in action” parallels the process of creating a sculpture as the professional reflects on their practice in the midst of practice in order to problem solve. As Nancy creates a work of art, her research is a quest for knowledge and of understanding issues and of learning. “We learn so much from our inquiry but as my husband said, ‘we know more than we can say’ and I would always say back to him that I think our unconscious is brilliant!” Nancy was recently awarded an honorary doctor of law degree from Mount Ida College in honor of her work in public sculpture.