Monumental Sculptures

Giant Panda, 2010, Styrofoam, cement, paint, 8ftx4ftx4ft by Donna Dodson

“In China, the panda bear is a symbol of peace. To science, both its colors and species are mysterious.  It is a bear but shares its name with a raccoon.  Its  markings help it to blend into the ice and rocks in the Himalayan Mountains where it lives. Giant Panda is black and white in stark contrast to the lush greenery surrounding her.  She is like an anomaly, exotic and dressed up like a lady attending a tea party in a long dress and formal gloves.”

Elephant Oracle, 2010, Styrofoam, cement, paint, 8ftx4ftx4ft by Donna Dodson

The Elephant Oracle is the wise old one to whom we turn in times of confusion, doubt and indecision. The Elephant has a memory that never forgets. Perhaps it is a paradox that one who knows so much says so little. Yet, in its presence, we find the courage in ourselves to listen.

Hathor, 2010, Styrofoam, cement, paint, 8ftx4ftx4ft by Donna Dodson

Hathor is both an archetypal figure and a very distinct individual.  The stylized nature of the piece is meant to “enhance the girl, woman, queen or goddess within. The mouths of Dodson’s sculptures are closed symbolizing the mysteries they embody.”  Hathor represents an Egyptian goddess of the same name “who is depicted as a cow with a disc in between its horns or as a woman with cow ears. Dodson imagines the goddess Hathor as a cow headed female figure.”

Baby Bringer, 2011, Styrofoam, cement, paint, 12ftx4ftx4ft by Donna Dodson

She is both a celebration of fertility and motherhood as well as a subversion on the popular myth that storks bring babies in a diaper clasped in their beaks.

Moby Dick, 2012, styrofoam, cement, mortar, 8ftx4ftx4ft by Donna Dodson

In celebration of Herman Melville’s novel, Moby Dick, I wanted to create a sculpture of the novel’s hero. Melville was a brilliant writer. He created the Captain of the ship who sought revenge on the whale who had harmed him, not from malice, but from some animal instinct. I created an anthropomorphic sculpture in celebration of Melville's humanistic whale.

Seagull Cinderella, 2012, styrofoam, cement, acrylic, 8ftx4ftx4ft by Donna Dodson

Seagull Cinderella is as common as the birds we see at the beach. Yet she is uncommon, like Marilla in Anne of Green Gables, corseted and bound by the sweet virtues of her character. Her full length gown is alive with neon daisies and flower power! This piece is Celebrating a Common sea bird as the American mythic princess, Cinderella.


Tiger Mother, 2013, styrofoam, cement, paint, 8ftx3ftx3ft by Donna Dodson. 
Photo Credit: Erin X. Smithers

Tiger Mother, 2013, styrofoam, cement, paint, 8ftx3ftx3ft by Donna Dodson
Photo Credit: Erin X. Smithers

Fierce and protective as wild animals, but loving, warm and human, they are a tribute to Amy Chua's book, The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.  Tiger Mothers embody the idea that one has to be a different parent to each one of one's kids, because each child is unique. Dodson's art work celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom.

Madam President: A Monument to the First Female President of the USA and to the Dream that Every Girl Can Become The President of the USA by Donna Dodson, 13 ft tall, poplar wood, paint 2014 . Courtesy of GTI Properties, Mario Nicosia, V. Lessard & Sons and The Boston Sculptors Gallery.

Danish Baby Bringer, 9 ft tall, oak, 2017 SOLD