Standing In This Place is an arts and heritage project co-created by sculptor Rachel Carter and the Legacy Makers in response to the work of the Legacy Makers group formed in 2014 by Bright Ideas Nottingham and the collaborative community-academic Global Cotton Connections project. It looks to highlight the contributions and connections between white mill workers and black enslaved women uprooted to the Americas, showing how their stories and histories are connected by cotton, sorrow, strength and resilience.

Through collaborating with the black-led community group the Legacy Makers, we have been questioning who is and who should be remembered. While also being aware that less than 5% of statues in the UK portray non-royal women.

Our target is a life size bronze sculpturerepresenting a white mill worker/lace maker, and a black enslaved woman uprooted to the Americas, installed in the heart of the rejuvenated Broadmarsh area in Nottingham City Centre. The sculpture will be complemented with a resource pack to encourage further learning and conversations.

This ambitious project, exhibitions and new sculpture will give representation to the under-represented and give voice and recognition to the contributions of thousands of unnamed women connected through cotton and helps to ‘challenge the 5%’.

This internationally important statue will highlight our rich and diverse cultural heritage and the contributions of women for hundreds of years and many generations to come.

Historically many of our statues have been erected by leading civic organisations, businesses and public subscription. They celebrate and commemorate events and people that have helped shape our cities and nations. In 2016 Caroline Criado-Perez researched how many statues were of women out of the 826 across the UK and commented “That leaves us with 25 statues of historical, non-royal women (one of whom is a ghost and only there because she’s looking for the spirit of her murdered husband). Meanwhile, there are 43 statues of men called John.”