In Her Honor

press release: The 4W Initiative (Women, Well-being, Wisconsin and the World) and the Wisconsin Union invite the public to celebrate the completion of a wood carved table, which was designed and created by a Wisconsin artist and Wisconsin Union team members in celebration of the contributions and achievements of women at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The celebration will take place on Dec. 12 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Hamel Family Browsing Library at Memorial Union and will include light refreshments. Following the event, the table will remain in the Hamel Family Browsing Library for Wisconsin Union members and guests to enjoy.

Artist Sylvie Rosenthal designed the table with consultation from 4W Assistant Director Olivia Dahlquist and 4W Director Lori Diprete Brown. Rosenthal constructed the tabletop, which includes brass inlay and red sand inlay that form a constellation as well as carved depictions of prairie wild flowers and women. Rosenthal designed the base that was crafted by Wisconsin Union team members Creighton Hinkes, Scott Wilson, and Jeff Rauser.

Rosenthal, who is a local artist, designer, woodworker, sculptor and educator, earned a bachelor’s degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Woodworking and Furniture Design Program in the School for American Crafts and a master’s degree in sculpture from UW-Madison. Rosenthal maintains a studio practice and teaches woodworking at UW and the fundamentals of construction at Madison College.

Wilson, a Union carpenter, and Rauser, who serves as the Union's advanced repair worker, spent more than 40 hours crafting the table’s white oak base. Hinkes, a Union painter, put the finishing touches on the table by applying multiple coats of epoxy to protect and preserve it.

The event at which the table will debut marks the end of a year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of women earning bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Event guests will have an opportunity to learn about the In Her Honor Chancellor’s Fund, a giving program that honors the ways that women have impacted lives. This fund helps support campus programs that aim to promote gender equity, make life better for women, and make the world better for all.