A lasting symbol of partnership between MBU and the world’s leading Shakespeare institution now displayed at Rose Terrace.
Mary Baldwin University has welcomed a remarkable addition to its historic campus: a bronze sculpture of a scene from Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, created by artist Greg Wyatt and gifted by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. The installation at Rose Terrace deepens the longstanding ties between the Folger and MBU’s renowned Shakespeare and Performance (S&P) graduate program.
The gift was initiated by Dr. Ralph Alan Cohen, the founding director of the S&P program, who retired in 2022. It was formally received by the program’s current co-directors, Dr. Matt Davies, Dr. Peter Kirwan, and Associate Professor Doreen Bechtol.
A Sculpture with a Story
The artwork is part of a series by New York artist Greg Wyatt, internationally recognized for his dynamic bronze sculptures. The series was originally commissioned for Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon, where large-scale versions are displayed in the gardens at Shakespeare’s New Place. Wyatt later gifted a set of smaller replicas to the Folger, which installed them in 2000.
When the Folger underwent a sweeping renovation of its building and gardens, it could no longer accommodate all eight works. Four remain in Washington, while four are being placed with partner institutions. Mary Baldwin is the first recipient.
“This is a big day for us,” said Ruth Taylor Kidd, chief financial officer of the Folger Shakespeare Library. “We’ve spent the last few years identifying Shakespeare-related organizations where we could spread this work out and build stronger connections. We’re delighted that Mary Baldwin, with its leading Shakespeare program, is the first to receive one.”
David Whitney, director of operations at the Folger, emphasized the broader vision: “Our hope is that people will travel not just to see Shakespeare performed, but also to visit these sculptures as they find new homes across the country. It’s a way of extending the Folger’s reach and creating bonds between institutions.”
Installation on Historic Ground
The sculpture now stands on the grounds of Rose Terrace, one of Mary Baldwin’s most storied buildings. Built around 1875, Rose Terrace has served many roles in its history — including as the college president’s home, a sanatorium, the French Language House, and, most recently, the offices of the Shakespeare and Performance program.
Installing the work was itself a project worthy of stagecraft. The D.C.-area firm Lorton Stone managed the placement, with members of the S&P faculty pitching in to prepare the site.
“The challenge was digging a four-foot-deep foundation through clay,” recalled Davies. “We had to be careful to avoid utilities, but there’s something meaningful about creating foundations for a work that will endure here for generations. Once it’s in the ground, it’s not going anywhere.”
The statue, standing about six feet tall, is a stirring depiction of a shipwreck scene from Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest. On its front, visitors can read a selection from The Tempest’s epilogue from a bronze scroll.
In addition to housing Shakespeare and Performance’s offices, Rose Terrace’s garden has also been the site of recent performances by MBU’s own Master of Fine Arts Companies and the resident company of the nearby American Shakespeare Center.
A Living Partnership
The arrival of the sculpture underscores the continuing collaboration between Mary Baldwin and the Folger Shakespeare Library. The two institutions share a history of scholarly exchange, collaborative research, and mutual support for Shakespeare performance and education.
“We’ve got a long-standing relationship with the Folger Shakespeare Library: we’ve had exchanges of scholars, of students, and we’ve worked together to keep these incredible works alive,” explained Kirwan. “We’re two fascinatingly proximate institutions, and it will be wonderful to have a piece of the Folger here to remind us of that.”
That partnership will continue this fall when Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper, director of the Folger Shakespeare Library and author of The Great White Bard: Shakespeare, Race and the Future, visits Staunton for an MBU Signature Event. She will speak at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 24 at the Blackfriars Playhouse. Her lecture, “What Are We Allowed to Say About Shakespeare?: Shakespeare in the Public Eye Post-January 2025,” promises fresh insights into Shakespeare’s role in contemporary culture.
An Invitation to the Community
The Mary Baldwin community and visitors to Staunton are invited to stop by Rose Terrace to view the sculpture, a powerful reminder of the university’s place in the international Shakespeare landscape.For those who wish to engage more deeply, tickets to Karim-Cooper’s October 24 lecture at the Blackfriars Playhouse are available to the public. Together, the sculpture and the lecture mark a new chapter in Mary Baldwin’s enduring relationship with the Folger — and in the university’s commitment to celebrating Shakespeare’s ongoing relevance.
