Global Advisors | McCann
Architects
Merica May Jensen
Design Engineer
Sophie Pennetier
Glazier
The New Motor
Glass Supplier
Pilkington
Fearless Girl – Broken Ceiling
The Fearless Girl is a custom bronze sculpture and a representation of female empowerment worldwide. The 4’ high statue was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) and produced by Kristen Visbal debuting on March 7, 2017, and is currently positioned across from the New York Stock Exchange.
Originally, the sculpture was an endorsement for a new Exchange Traded Fund with a focus on gender-diverse companies but has since become a fixture for equality across the corporate landscape. As such, the SSGA and advertising firm McCann designed and commissioned Broken Ceiling, a single day exhibit signifying the ceilings, barriers and obstacles that women continue to shatter on a daily basis.
The installation can best be described by the engraved centrepiece:
“Today’s broken glass ceilings are tomorrow’s stepping stones.”
Creating The Project
The custom glass project was commissioned by McCann and fabricated by AGNORA. The complex project consisted of approximately 250 unique glass “shards” that were cut and expertly finished to a diamond high polish, using 12mm annealed clear provided by Pilkington.
Many pieces were then UV glued to form an elevated glass structure that provided the unique look of glass crashing to the ground.
A huge amount of prep work and design optimization went into this project,” says Shari Robinson, VP of Sales and Marketing at AGNORA. “Additionally, our production team had to work with many pieces of uniquely shaped glass. From cutting to polishing and custom crating, the project was an exercise in precision and meticulous planning. Our entire team really put together something special.”
What Is Being Said
“An installation is clearly worth a thousand words: State Street Global Advisors just installed a broken glass ceiling surrounding Fearless Girl—the statue that has come to define Wall Street in recent years—to celebrate both her fourth anniversary and International Women's Day.”
- Time Out New York
“Many stopped to take pictures of Wall Street's iconic statue standing in a broken glass ceiling.”
- ABC 7 New York
“It’s been four years since Fearless Girl — the statue of a girl standing her ground in the heart of Wall Street — sent an immediate and unmistakable message to the world’s business leaders: that having strong women in leadership matters.”
- SSGA