Patricia Cronin

“I’m powerless, so what can I do? I can raise awareness, and I can feel.

  • Name: Patricia Cronin
  • Born: 1963
  • From: Beverly, Massachusetts
  • Pronouns: She/her
  • Contribution/Impact: Cronin is a sculptor, painter, and photographer that has used art to for political protests. Cronin married her partner Deborah Kass on July 24, 2011, the first day gay marriage was legal in New York. 
  • Occupation: Sculptor, Painter, Photographer
  • Known For: Memorial of a Marriage (2002), Shrine for Girls (2015)
  • Awards: Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome for Visual Arts (2007) 
Patricia Cronin
Kow504, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Patricia Cronin is an outspoken political activist, feminist, and advocate for women whose voices have been silenced. She has spent her career creating pieces that demonstrate the oppression women have faced and still face to this day with one of her most powerful pieces being “Memorial to a Marriage” which is a statue Cronin made of herself and her partner (later wife) Deborah Kass. To ensure it stayed up, Cronin has the statue atop the couple’s burial plot.  

Handout

To download the Handout:

  1. Click on the image
  2. Right-click and select Save Image As…
  3. Print
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  6. Download a card and envelope template and write about an idea this leader inspires.
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