Standing Bear sculpture coming to Centennial Mall

Posted by: Abigail Wood

awood@klkntv.com

"In his eyes I see determination and courage and also compassion, which is a very complex thing to work with as an artist."

Sculptor Ben Victor says he feels a special connection to the subject of his most recent project. He was commissioned to create an 11-foot bronze sculpture of Standing Bear, a Nebraska Ponca Chief who successfully argued in the 1800s for the person hood and equality of Native Americans.

"That moment when he reaches out his hand and says that our hands are a different color, our skins are a different color, but if you pierce it we bleed the same color," Victor explained. "You know, that statement that’s so powerful is going to be a part of this permanent monument."

The statue will go in Centennial Mall this fall, just in time for the state sesquicentennial.

"The connection to Centennial Mall and the history of the state is absolutely fabulous," said Lynn Johnson with Parks and Recreation.

Victor is an artist in residence at the Boise State University in Idaho. He brought the clay model he’s going to use to cast the bronze sculpture to Lincoln, so the city can come and watch him work. He gathered inspiration from pictures of the chief himself, as well as other details from that time period.

He says Standing Bear’s passion for freedom and human rights plays an integral role not just in Nebraska’s history, but in the nation as well.

"Just to think of that starting point that Standing Bear made for all human rights in this country," he said.

The idea for the statue has been years in the making. It’s funded by Don Campbell, a local philanthropist, and coordinated by the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. 

Victor will be down at the Jayne Snyder Trail Center until April 4th, between the hours of one and four every afternoon, if you want to watch him work up close.