Shasti O'Leary Soudant (b. 1967)

Do Not Mistake Our Softness for Weakness stands as a tribute to the strength and power of women and girls in our region and beyond. The six vibrantly colored sculptures symbolize the transformational journey of womanhood.

O’Leary Soudant explains her piece this way:

This sculpture speaks to the necessity to rise and claim womanhood for ourselves, in whatever way we see fit. The sculpture is my ode to our eternal becoming. The six revolving elements represent a faceted avatar, evoking the different stations of feminine power, progression, and metamorphosis: From youth to old age, naivety to wisdom, timidity to courage, obedience to defiance, stoicism to exuberance.

This commission was made possible through the generous support from members of The Junior League of Buffalo and the following donors:

The Baird Foundation | Buffalo Renaissance Foundation | Buffalo State College | Cynthia Vance & Scott Smith Charitable Fund | Davis Family Foundation | Delaware North Companies | Gerald & Sandra Lippes Foundation | James H. Cummings Foundation | Josephine Goodyear Foundation
The Joy Family Foundation | KeyBank in partnership with First Niagara Foundation | The John R. Oishei Foundation | M&T Bank | The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo | Rigidized Metals | The Vogt Family FoundationMonica Angle & Sam Magavern | Jennifer & Christopher Beckage | Nancy Berger Rosanne Braxton | Jean Dean | Adrian F. & Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker | Lynne Marie Finn | Jane Hettrick Peter & Mary Jo Hunt | Mary Ann Kresse | Anne Leary | Cindy Abbott Letro | Maureen Saab | Wendy Sanders | Colleen Seminara | Rachel & Scott Stenclik | Susan Warren | Cindi Winter | Leslie & Howard Zemsky