In 1987, Newton artist Nancy Schon crafted her way to fame with her bronze sculpture, “Make Way for Ducklings,” inspired by a children’s book of the same name, in Boston.

Those adorable fowl gained international acclaim when First Lady Barbara Bush brought Raisa Gorbachev—first lady of the Soviet Union—to see them in 1991 and later had a replica made and sent to Moscow as a gift.

Now, at 96, Schon continues to sculpt. But in recent years, as Donald Trump has taken the presidency twice, her art has become more political, more intense and more brazen.

“I’ve always been interested in doing things that have to do, not so much with politics, but with the underdog,” Schon said as she greeted guests at her home for a showing of her new work.

Keeping up

When Trump was first elected in 2016, Schon said she was driven to create art that reflected the things impacted by his power.

“I did a bunch of things that have to do with the Supreme Court, which has to do with gun control and which has to do with medicine,” she said.

What’s different this time? The pace.

“These last six months have motivated me, but there’s an explosion—every day there’s been something,” Schon said.

And since creating a bronze sculpture takes many months, keeping up with the daily breaking news of Trump 2.0 has meant a move to mixed media.

“This mixed media means I can work very quickly,” she smiled. “Also, I love to use things that are already in my studios.”

Themes

Schon is not shy. And her work shows that.

There’s a sculpture of the heads of Trump and Adolf Hitler facing each other with a heart between them. There’s a sculpture of the Supreme Court, with six of the justices wearing Ku Klux Klan hoods.

There’s a statue of Trump wearing all gold, on a gold throne with a golden crown, giving a Nazi salute, and another one of an elephant morphing into a gun.

The themes are meant to shock, to stir conversation and engagement with the art for what Schon says is the very real danger it represents.

“Day to day, it’s unbelievable. We’re losing our democracy,” Schon said. “And one of the things I feel strongly about is that artists have an obligation to tell the truth. It’s their truth. It’s my truth. I want to leave my footprints in the history of this world, because this my obligation as an artist.”

And it’s not all bad. One of the sculptures displayed is of the Pope’s hat, with the word “Hope” next to it, in honor of Pope Leo XIV, who has openly criticized the Trump administration in his first few months as head of the Vatican.

There are many ways artists leave their mark on history, Schon said, including children’s books like the one written in 1941 by Robert McCloskey, which inspired her “Make Way for Ducklings” sculpture 46 years later.

“And it’s very interesting. One of the things people don’t realize is that children’s books are leaving a history,” she said. “They teach the customs, the manners, and these artists who do children’s books are leaving their footprints.”

Schon, who has lived in Newton since the 1960s and developed her talent as a way of connecting with her kids, is leaving her footprints on the world through bronze, copper and now several other materials as she uses that talent to connect with the world.

Check out these photos of Schon’s newer works.

Artist Nancy Schon created this sculpture of Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler gazing at each other lovingly. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

These anti-Trump works of art were created by Newton’s Nancy Schon. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Newton’s Nancy Schon created this sculpture depicting polarizing politics in America. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

This statue created by Newton’s Nancy Schon represents the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Nancy Schon’s statue of the Supreme Court depicts its conservative justices wearing Klan robes. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

This sculpture by Nancy Schon depicts the three branches of the United States government, broken. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

This statue of President Donald Trump created by Newton artist Nancy Schon depicts Trump as a king giving a Nazi salute. Photo by Bryan McGoniogle

Nancy Schon created this piece connecting the Republican party and gun violence. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

This sculpture by Nancy Schon depicts Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Nancy Schon created this sculpture of a pope’s hat in honor of the new American pope, Leo XIV. Photo by Bryan McGonigle