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Monuments & Memorials Committee, Lexington, MA
Minutes of Meeting
September 12, 2024
Parker Room, Town Office Building
In Person and By Zoom Teleconference
Members Present: Linda Dixon, Chair; Avram Baskin, Bebe Fallick, George Gamota, Liz
Huttner, Leslie Masson, Mirela Vaso, Nick Wong.
Members not present: Glen Bassett
Guests: Bill Poole and Regina Sutton, adjunct members; Karen Tyler, Veterans Services
Director; Donor Howard Wolk and associates Barry Cunha, Miriam Gusevich, Larry Borins,
and Matthew Siegal (the Donor Group).
Business
Chair Linda Dixon opened the meeting at 4:05, took roll call, and declared that a quorum
was present. She announced that this was a continuation of the special meeting of August
22, 2024 for the purpose of hearing the proposal on the Lex250 monument. Committee
members are encouraged to ask questions and offer feedback.
The minutes of August 22, 2024 will be approved at the meeting of October 10, 2024.
Lex250 Recap
Barry Cunha, Team Leader of the Donor Group’s monument project, introduced his fellow
presenters: Artist Miriam Gusevich; Project Manager Larry Borins; art consultant Matthew
Siegal of LexArt; and donor Howard Wolk. He summarized steps taken to arrive at this point:
Howard Wolk initiated the project with a donation of $250,000 toward a new monument
MAPC retained to manage the Call for Artists
4 finalists introduced their design concepts to a citizen audience of 80
A large majority of the Selection Committee chose Miriam Gusevich’s design
Described design as “engaging, interactive, inspiring, inclusive, timeless, site specific”
Met with Historic Tourism Committee, positive results, working with Historic Districts
Commission to resolve several issues, trying to connect with Commission on Disability
Testimonials
Bill Poole spoke as an informal consultant to the Donor Group. He felt that the
combination of the proposed monument and its new landscaped setting immerses the
visitor back into the time and location of April 19, 1775. Further, the monument serves
to connect three other important sites – the Minuteman Statue, the Common, and the
Belfry – into a unified whole. The size of the project will attract passersby to both the
park and the Belfry.
Howard Wolk expressed delight that this plan will provide just what the Town needs.
Matthew Siegal emphasized the consensus of the citizens who provided feedback: this
monument should be contemporary, “not a white man with an open shirt and a musket”
but should be forward-looking, universal, and reflect the year 2025. The design group
sought to convey that the viewer is walking through a battlefield, in an abstract, striking,
and simple manner. It’s not just about the British vs. the Colonists, it’s universal.
Miriam Gusevich is a great admirer of the American Revolution. As a child of the Cuban
revolution herself, she has a special understanding and connection to this event, and she
sees the Lex250 monument as her gift to the people of Lexington.
Recent Select Board Meeting
Chair Dixon discussed the recent Select Board meeting, when the Donor Group gave a progress
report on changes made to their proposed plan in response to SB feedback last spring. While
there were quite a few positive comments, there were also many negative comments, including:
The closely spaced rods attract trash and leaves trapped between them
The rods convey two standing armies. This is not historically accurate.
The rods are a safety risk as children could climb them and injure themselves.
Every day, we see red vs. blue on television in a political context. These colors are
confusing.
Other artists were told they could not use both sides of the path. Equity issue.
Didn’t get enough community support
Blue section looks too organized; the Colonists were farmers, not soldiers.
Tight timeline is a strong concern. Do not want half-completed monument on 4/19/25
Path seen as divisive (this comment from a community member)
Paths are 6 feet wide while Battle Green Paths are 4 feet. (community member)
Digging deep to secure the poles could inadvertently damage buried historical artifacts
(community member)
George Gamota stated, and the committee agreed, that our responsibility as a committee is to
make a recommendation decision based on the monument’s value to the Lexington community.
Committee Member Comments
Avram Baskin: asks how critical is the unveiling date? The response: if the monument cannot be
completed by April 19, 2025, a groundbreaking ceremony would be held instead. Avram likes
the design. Since the Select Board is the ultimate decider, he urged the proposers to continue
their efforts to reduce the Board’s objections.
George Gamota: Likes the abstract nature of the design: “It makes people think.” Disappointed
that there will be no lighting.
Liz Huttner: In favor. Sees the ability to walk through the monument as a selling point.
Leslie Masson: It’s an allegory; it encourages us to think of events then and now. Referring to
her experience as a board member of LexSeeHer as they launched a public awareness/support
campaign for their women’s monument, she suggested that the Donor Group might benefit from
doing this as well.
Bill Poole: It’s not only allegorical, but also historical. The color blue has been associated with
patriots since Revolutionary times. Also, the Colonists were not a ragtag group of farmers; they
were a trained militia, a few of them veterans of the French and Indian Wars, who were issued
bayonets by the Town and drilled regularly on the Common. After their experience on the
Common on the morning of April 19, the Lexington Militia was the only company who knew
what war was really like.
Regina Sutton: Thinks the monument fully lives up to Town’s motto, “It’s a glorious morning
for America!”
Linda Dixon: Immediate thing that struck her is the mass of red poles vs. blue. Visually – and
viscerally – drives home the image of how outnumbered the Colonists were, how terrified they
must have been, and how brave they were to stand their ground. This image can be applied to
modern-day instances of bravery versus overwhelming odds. Also, the surrounding landscaped
space will be a welcome place to sit, rest, and ponder.
Next Steps
The Donor Group conducted a site visit with representatives of the Historic Districts
Commission and another meeting is planned for September 26, assuming a quorum can be
assembled. They are still working to set up a meeting with the Commission on Disability.
Chair Dixon stated that, pending a positive outcome from these two bodies prior to the M&M
Committee’s next meeting on October 10, 2024, M&M should be prepared to take a vote
whether to recommend approval of this proposal to the Select Board at that meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m. Next meeting: October 10, 2024.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Dixon, Chair