United In Space

Sophya Tabarovsky began collaborating with sculptor Bridgette Mongeon in 2012 when the sculpture of Yuri Gagarin was first installed in Houston, Texas and Sophya desired a sculpture of Neil Armstrong to be set on Russian soil. In 2019 Space Center Houston committed to receiving the second bronze in the edition of Neil Armstrong from the United In Space committee, and the fundraising began.

Bridgette Mongeon is a sculpture working over 30 years in the Houston area. She is known for her numerous commission of individuals such as entertainers like B. B. King, Willie Nelson, and Bill Monroe. She has been hired by universities to create mascots that you can see at Prairie View A & M and Grambling State University. Her recent work installed in 2018 has taken her to Wonderland as she is the sculptor of the Monumental sculpture of Alice In Wonderland Mad Hatter Tea Party in Evelyn’s Park.

Mongeon is also the author of “3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft Exploring 3D printing, Scanning, Sculpting and Milling.”  The publishing of her book awarded her the title of 19 of 30 most influential women in 3D Printing.

Mongeon is a proponent of STEM/STEAM education—an interdisciplinary educational initiative that focuses on Science, Technology Engineer, Art, and Math. She is a sought after speaker on the subject and has presented at such conferences as Texas Art Educators, Expanding your Horizons- Young Women in Math and Science, and 3D Printing World Expo and many more.

EDUCATORS Mongeon documents her process and her research in creating her work. These blog posts are more than “how to sculpt; they are also the historical, educational, emotional and technological influences.  Mongeon is a perpetual learner and educator, and in her previous sculpting projects, she has incorporated educational elements to help teachers, educators, parents, and homeschoolers. She will be blogging her process and the research with educational links and resources on The United In Space Website. She is interested in how others are learning and sharing about space exploration and STEM/ STEAM and would love to share your adventures on this blog as well.

You can find more about her and her work on these social media links.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BridgetteMongeonSculptor/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bridgettemongeon
Twitter https://twitter.com/sculptorwriter
Fine Art Website http://www.creativesculpture.com
Art and Technology website Digitalsculpting.net
Alice Sculpture Website http://www.alicesculpture.com

It is the dream of Sophya Tabarovsky to see a sculpture of American astronaut Neil Armstrong installed on Russian soil as well as see the companion piece at the Space Center Houston. See the YouTube video for the details. The dream began in 2011 when she was instrumental in having a sculpture of Yuri Gagarin placed in Houston, Texas.

Community and international relations run through the blood of Sophya and she has exhibited it in her career and life. Here is a little information about the United In Space Sculpture coordinator and her contributions to Russia, America and those that love space.

Sophya (Sonia) Tabarovsky is from Chita, southeastern Siberian province of the Russian Federation. She worked at the only local TV station in Novosibirsk as a TV reporter, news anchor, and moderator. In 1989 she and her family immigrated to the United States with refugee status. In 1995 she became a US citizen, and currently resides in Houston, Texas with her husband.

— In 1993, after settling in Houston, She began broadcasting a weekly Sunday Russian radio program on AM 1050 KCHN  making her first radio bridge with her Russian colleagues in Moscow the following year.  She continues this program to this day.  Having maintained her connections with the Russian media, she has kept current on the issues facing the Russian people today.  In addition to her radio show, she has organized many Russian-American festivals for the Russian-American community in Houston, and in 2000 established a “Day of Russia” in the Fiesta supermarket during the first week of March each year dedicated to International Women’s day. 

— In 1999, she started a registered nonprofit organization called Kindness without Limits to provide modest humanitarian support to primarily the elderly and orphaned children, as well as to foster families in Chita. 

— In 2000, she organized the first Russian charitable ball in Houston with participants from the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C.  She organized the Russian Festival in Hermann Square outside Houston City Hall in which Russian and American dignitaries, Russian cosmonauts, and American astronauts participated. 

— Abroad, in the northern-most city of Okha, Sakhalin, she helped start the city’s first live radio broadcast “People are People”, a program about Americans aired each Friday, and created TV programs for the local viewers.

—She also has broadcasted the Russian Radio program “We, Texas and Russia” 1993-present.

—In March, 2002, she opened the Russian Saturday School in Houston to teach the Russian language, culture, literature, history, art, and theater to Russian-American children.

—In September of 2004, after the Beslan middle school terror attack, she started the Beslan Project of Kindness without Limits, whose mission it was to bring some of the more seriously injured survivors of the attack to Houston for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Community Services:

—Organizing the Russian-American Festivals in Nassau Bay City (NASA) 1995-1997 with invitation of the Russian dignitaries from the Russian government, Russian businessmen, Russian cosmonauts.

—Organized the first Russian Festival in front of City Hall in Houston, 2000.

—Organized the first Russian Charitable Ball 2000 with invitation of the Russian dignitaries from the Russian Embassy in Washington.

—2012 Initiated with the Mayor of Houston opening the First in Space monument dedicated to the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and American astronaut John Glenn.

—In 2014 opened in EaDo a First in Space Tree Alley. The first pair of trees dedicated to Gagarin and Armstrong. The second ones will be dedicated to the First Women in Space. 

—In 2011 initiated the break ground event in the Ethnomir Kaluga region (Russia) for the Neil Armstrong statue.

—2019 initiated the presentation and award of the anticipated Neil Armstrong Sculpture in Space Center Houston.

Contact Information- Sophya Tabarovsky sophyat@gmail.com, 281-370-1464

On March 18th our fundraising team was delighted to receive a letter From William T Harris the CEO of Space Center Houston concerning the acceptance of a duplicate copy of the Neil Armstrong sculpture that we are creating for Russia. We reported about this in a March March 25th press release. We are so excited about this collaboration.