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“ABSOLUTELY EXCEPTIONAL.” ELENA tilted her head to gaze up at an astounding, larger-than-life bronze statue depicting a trio of draped goddesses. Each goddess helped support a glowing amber, electrically lit globe in their uplifted hands. The masterpiece stood in the center of a soaring rotunda at the Natural History Museum near downtown Los Angeles.
“This is called the Three Muses,” Barbara said, pride evident in her voice. “One of my favorites, it was installed in 1913. The goddesses represent History, Science, and Art. The sculpture was created by Julia Bracken Wendt, who rose from domestic servitude to become the foremost sculpturist in the West in her time.”
“We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors,” Elena said, remembering a quote and thinking of her great-grandmother as she
