A dream becomes a sculpture honored at Rowan

This is a story about how art happens. It is also the story of a diminutive but determined woman, a sculptor who understood her vision and gave it wings, and a local university that saw fit to give it a home.

Above all, it is a story about love.

Growing up in Depression-era South Philadelphia, the children of a U.S. Mint worker and a dressmaker, Francesca Cottone Shaughnessy and her beloved brother Sebastian Charles Cottone were raised to view education as the key to success and a source of life's great joy.

It served them well. Sebastian Cottone went on to teach history at Villanova University. Shaughnessy, now 89 and the widow of a Marine, also taught and had a long career as a psychologist with the Philadelphia School District. Thanks to some smart investments and a knack for real estate, she also made herself a lot of money.

Sadly, her brother died in 2004. She cried and cried, even though he had told her not to.

She wanted her brother remembered. So about five years ago, she called the Glenside studio of the internationally known artist Zenos Frudakis, who did the sculpture of her old friend Mayor Frank L. Rizzo at the Municipal Services Building. His best-known piece probably is Freedom outside GlaxoSmithKline's Philadelphia headquarters, which the British newspaper the Independent has called one of the world's top 10 pieces of public art.

"She wanted just a bust originally," Frudakis said. "We talked. She said, maybe I want a whole statue of him. Maybe I want one of me, too."

Various details were discussed. Conversations continued over time.

But one of the things Shaughnessy, now a Glen Mills resident, was fairly resolute about was a particular quote, attributed to Sir Francis Bacon:

"Knowledge is power."

Cut to the present.

On Friday's gusty afternoon, outside Rowan University's James Hall, home to the College of Education, students yanked away a golden drape to reveal Knowledge Is Power, an eight-foot-high, 12-foot-long, more than 1,500-pound bronze ode to intellect, creativity, and the power of the human spirit.

Shaughnessy paid a $300,000 commission for the work, which is assessed at $1 million, said Rosalie Frudakis, the sculptor's business partner and former wife.

As was evident from the throng of students who crowded around the piece right after it was unveiled, the sculpture invited touch and study.

A statue of Shaughnessy and another of her brother stand at either end of the piece, holding open a large book. The open pages contain the images and quotes of 31 famous figures of science, math, history, and the arts - Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Anne Frank, Harriet Tubman, Mohandas Gandhi, and Ludwig van Beethoven, to name a few.

Shaughnessy said her hope was for a work that would encourage students to pursue learning.

"When they see all of these icons there each day, I hope it will inspire them to use their knowledge," said Shaughnessy, who hadn't seen the finished sculpture until it was unveiled. She admitted to having trouble sleeping the few nights before in anticipation.

Her parents and her brother would be "thrilled" with the sculpture.

So are its hosts at Rowan.

"The sculpture is a wonderful focal point for the university community and beautifully illustrates Rowan's mission to enrich life through learning and service to society," said Ali A. Houshmand, Rowan's president.

The project and Shaughnessy came to mean a lot to Zenos and Rosalie Frudakis, who are included in the piece at Shaughnessy's insistence.

Zenos Frudakis, a lover of books, said it is one of his favorites out of the more than 100 life-size or larger-than-life sculptures he has done.

"There are projects you do because you pay the bills with them. Then there are projects you do because you really, really want to do them," said Rosalie Frudakis. "This is one of those."

A number of locations were considered for placing the completed work, she said. However, Shaughnessy knew Zenos Frudakis was working on a sculpture of Henry Rowan that has since been installed on campus.

"One day, she called me," Rosalie Frudakis said. "She said, 'I've been thinking. Maybe if this man Henry Rowan endowed that college with $100 million, maybe he's onto something. Maybe that's where my sculpture should go.' "

Friday afternoon, Shaughnessy and campus dignitaries watched the unveiling indoors via a live stream; Rowan officials figured it was kind of chilly outside for the guests.

But as soon it was over, Shaughnessy was on her feet, headed for the elevators, her walker not slowing her down a bit. The small sea of students surrounding her sculpture parted to let her get close.

Once they realized who she was, they applauded.

Grinning modestly, she applauded them back.