CALUMET, Mich. (WJMN)- The Big Annie Statue Committee is seeking artist submissions to be considered for the fabrication of a large bronze statue to commemorate Anna Klobuchar Clemenc, also known as Big Annie.
According to the Keweenaw National Historic Park , Big Annie founded and served as president of the Women’s Auxiliary No. 15 of the Western Federation of Miners. Big Annie led daily parades of striking miners throughout Calumet during the 1913 copper strike.
“I encourage when the artists do their homework, I encourage them to look at symbols and the use of symbols within their rendition of what they might see the statue is holding, because when she did her marches with the 10-foot post with this gargantuas flag,” said Barb Summersett, art consult for the Big Annie Statue Committee. “She always wore and a number of the women that marched with her down the streets of Calumet were simple gingham dresses, and I saw a lot of the images holding a white handkerchief and I haven’t exactly been able to find specifics on what those symbolized. But hopefully the artists when they do their homework, like go back to Slovenia see what they were doing over there because she’s very much from that culture of southern Europe.”