Twenty years ago on the morning of Aug. 5, Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, was attending to the final details of the public dedication celebration of the 12-foot Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Memorial on Stacy Boulevard along Gloucester’s historic harbor.
Her joy would soon turn to utter despair.
“We had a wonderful event planned but it was very painful because we lost a boat that day,” she recalled. Early that morning, the Gloucester fishing vessel Starbound was struck by a freighter; one crewman survived and three died at sea.
But the women of the fishermen’s wives association carried on with the event which attracted an estimated 5,000 people.
“It wasn’t easy that day but we carried on and we wanted to acknowledge the pain of the widows. As women in the fishing industry, we carry on to help with the needs of fishermen, their families and the community. That comes with the title of being a fisherman’s wife,” said Sanfilippo.
Commissioned by the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association and created by Cape Ann sculptor Morgan Faulds Pike, the bronze statue depicts a woman with two children looking out to sea. Landscape artist Ann Gilardi Johnson further enhanced the 2,635 square foot memorial site with seating areas and gardens.
The global COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on efforts to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the dedication until the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association was approached by Gloucester’s Lyn Burke, executive director of LuminArtz, which creates public illumination displays. Burke said she had been wanting to honor Gloucester’s centuries of strong and influential women for several years and this special date offered the opportunity.
The result is an event called “Centuries in the Making: Gloucester’s Wives and Fishermen Shine On,” which will features two multimedia installations honoring the generations of women who have supported the Gloucester fishing industry.
The first event takes place this Thursday, Aug. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Memorial, with remarks from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Sanfilippo and Burke. After the event, the memorial and its surroundings will be illuminated with high-tech lighting along with a sound installation with stories from fishermen’s wives until 10 p.m.
Sanfilippo said they will honor Healey at this event for her support of the fishing industry.
“She committed herself that if anything bad happens to the industry, she will work to support it, and she recently won a lawsuit against the drug company related to opioid addiction. In our work, we deal with people who have addiction, good people who just got hooked because they were in pain because of their jobs and became dependent. We know through these families we have been helping how terrible this is,” she said.
During the pandemic, Sanfilippo said three members of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association were lost; Grace Favazza and Rosalie Laiachino, two original members, and Josephine Taormina, another long-time member.
“We want to honor them at this event, as well as Lena Novello and Gerri Lovasco,” she added.
The second part of the LuminArtz production runs Aug. 5 to Aug. 12 outdoors at the Cape Ann Museum at 27 Pleasant St, in downtown Gloucester. From 8:30 to 10 nightly, another light and sound art installation features projections of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives narrative quilt, created in 1998 in a collaboration with Clara Wainwright, a nationally known quilt maker. The quilt is on display in the museum through Oct. 10.
Both installations by LuminArtz, a non-profit organization, are presented in partnership with and made possible by support from the Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative, the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association and Fishing Partnership Support Services, Cape Ann Museum, The Boston Foundation/Bruce J. Anderson Foundation, the City of Gloucester, LEAP for Education/Gloucester High School, and Brookline Bank.
While honoring the past efforts of fishermen’s wives, Sanfilippo noted that their responsibilities have only increased over the years.
“What has changed today is that a fisherman’s wife has more responsibility than before,” she said. “Thirty years ago, a fisherman’s wife stayed home and took care of the kids and ran the business of the boat. But with changes and the impact of fishing regulations, that woman is now working outside of the house to make ends meet and still carry on all those other responsibilities. We need to honor these special women. They are the strength of the family and the community, and if someone else needs help, they always willing to help out.”
Sanfilippo also applauded the efforts of all those who work in fishing partnership offices elsewhere for their continued support of those who work in the industry.
And it is those efforts that Burke wants to celebrate.
“These women have been holding up the community for centuries. Their strength and diligence are inspiring. This is a way to honor the women in this community as well as women around the world for their strength and perseverance, particularly with COVID when we saw women having to take on more and more in their lives,” said Burke. “So by lighting up the statue, we want to bring attention to their continued resilience.”
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