It’s almost a rite of spring to read the childhood classic “Make Way for Ducklings.” The charcoal figures imagined and drawn by Robert McCloskey in the Caldecott Medal Award-winning book have been flying, swimming, diving and waddling into the hearts of children around the world since 1942. The charming tale tells the simple story of a young couple hoping to find a suitable place to build a home of their own.
The duck tale is cleverly written with prose that reflects the pace of the plot. Adventure and intrigue meet Mr. and Mrs. Mallard as they tour Beacon Hill, the Massachusetts State House, Louisburg Square and the Charles River. Soon a brood of eight little ducklings joins the Mallards still in search of a desirable nest. Drawn to the lagoon of the beautiful Boston Public Garden, enchanted by the grace of the mysterious Swan Boats, the Mallard family eventually lives a happily-ever-after life in the hearts of those who read the book.
Adding to the lore of this fairy tale is Nancy Schön. Commissioned to add form to the “Make Way for Ducklings” story, this Boston-born-and-bred sculptress cast the ducklings Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack Pack, Quack and Mrs. Mallard in bronze. The public art display, which seems to never need polishing because so many children sit on it, was copied in exacting detail from the Official Children’s Book of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Intended to be interactive art, the Mallard family is situated on old Boston cobblestones and have been played with, hugged and photographed since they arrived in the Boston Public Garden on Oct. 4, 1987.
Believing the duckling sculptures told a compelling and universally understandable story, then-First Lady of the United States Barbara Bush gave a replica of the statues to Raisa Gorbachev, the First Lady of the Soviet Union, in 1991 as a gift for the children of Moscow. In Novodevichy Park, the Ducklings stand 38 inches in height and 40 inches in length and remain good will ambassadors of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
Nancy Schön has always cast her work with an allegorical sense of goodness. At 87 years old, some of her fondest childhood memories include reminiscences of magical times when her mother would read to her. Those wholesome memories compliment her exacting talents and artistic passions and are evident to anyone who has seen the bronze sculptures of the ducklings.
Ceaseless in her creative ability to visually tell the moral of a story, Nancy has installed other metaphorical works of art around Boston. In 1993 she was the driving force behind raising funds to playfully pay homage to runners of the Boston Marathon by adding the Tortoise and Hare sculpture to the finish line area of Copley Square. In 2004 Massachusetts General Hospital commissioned her to honor nurses with a sundial on the Bulfinch Lawn, reflecting the timeless nature and loving intentions of the profession. More recently she was named the Granny of the Lynch Family Skatepark for her recognition of the athletes who shred near her reliefs. Nancy has also sculpted her vision of 26 of Aesop’s most significant fables.
Like McCloskey’s literal contribution to Boston’s culture, Nancy Schön’s sculptures add figurative expression to the ideals of compassion, intellect and work ethic. Copious research, old-fashioned hard work and occasional moments of magic are molded into the shape that reflects Nancy’s intention to tell stories of great character.
The woman who swims to clarify her creative strokes, does daily online crossword puzzles and plays tennis three times a week says she’s always been lucky. She credits her loving parents for her love of symbolic stories, her late husband for reminding her “we know more than we can say” and an intuitive awareness that her primary job was first to be a mom to her four children. The woman who lives on the outskirts of Boston doesn’t skirt the issue of being conscious of where one is on the relative timeline of life. As life expectancy continues to rise, she cautions young women who juggle career and family to consider pacing the stages of life rather than trying to do it all, all at once.
Nancy Schön, a self-declared woman ahead of her times who is now an artist, fundraiser and businesswoman, says as a young mother she was decisively old fashioned about carving out time for family. Although she said she has always earned a living in some way, she, like Mrs. Mallard, focused first on settling her home, tending her brood and then following her talents into broader job opportunities. Nancy’s energetic spirit continues to evolve in new forms while reiterating the moral lessons of classic tales with compelling and universally understood stories of goodness.
Nancy extends the charm of the “The Make Way for Ducklings” tale by handcrafting necklaces in 14K gold, white gold, and sterling silver. An adorable replica of Mrs. Mallard is now available to purchase as “sculpture to wear” and would make an ideal gift for any mom who treasures the spirit of this childhood classic.
To Di For is a sponsored lifestyle blog. For more information, contact Diane Kilgore at [email protected].
