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Winter, 2010 Vol 1, Issue 3
Touch History
Mississippi River Sculpture Park
Dear Friends,
We wish you joy during the holidays--a time
when we happily gather with family and
friends to celebrate the season. Many
spiritual and ethnic traditions, both native
and immigrant, make this time of year
glorious in our communities. These
traditions remind us of the remarkable
people who enriched our region with their
knowledge, deeds, arts, commerce and
spiritual paths. We are inspired by their lives to share the
historic and living culture of the confluence region through the
Sculpture Park.
Grateful for your involvement in 2010 (thank you!), we are
excited about our plans for the Park in 2011, especially the
installation of the sculpture of Emma Big Bear in July. This is
our New Year's resolution--to complete Phase One of the Park.
See Michael Douglass's note below about Project Emma to learn
more. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
~MRSP Board of Directors
In This Issue
Sculptor's Corner
Editor's Corner
La Crosse Visits
Eagle Watching
Fall Flood
Portrait Winner
Modern Sculpture
Project Emma
Sculptor's Corner
In 2002 I began to learn from friends and people at the Wisconsin Information Center, from
the libraries, newspaper articles, web research, and local museums, from the Rendezvous and Effigy
Mounds National Monument that people have been here near the confluence of our rivers for at least
12,000 years since the last ice age. I learned from a Seminole man that his people have been in this
area since the last two ice ages! Mastodon bones have been found nearby with spear points in their
ribs. Potshards from civilizations to the South together
with those from the Northern tribes have been found
nearby. African American freed slaves have traveled
the rivers. Voyageurs and fur traders were here
beginning in the early 17th century. Marquette & Joliet
"discovered" the Mississippi River here. These are just
a few examples of the stories and histories I have
learned over the years.
As I learned of these people I began going back
to my studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin to make small
clay maquettes of these, our ancestors. Starting with
the Sauk Warrior Chief Black Hawk, I continued over
the next two years to make almost 30 maquettes of
people who, over time, had come to this area. This confluence region has always been a crossroads
and remains so today. Some of the maquettes are actual portraits taken from photographs and
paintings and drawings, and some are figures representing an era. I also have collected information
to reference each historical figure. The total picture, like an extended historical novel, is even
grander than I had envisioned. Our ancestral roots are deep beyond imagining. I envision at least
26 life size bronze historical figures from the past 12,000 years being together in the sculpture park
as if they were gathering together around the fire circle, swapping stories, exchanging goods, and
meeting one another in a grand rendezvous. Modern computer technology for enlarging has allowed
me, as an individual artist, to plan on making such a large number of sculptures in a reasonable
time period. Many more historical characters may be added to the park in the future.
Over these past eight years I have been busy introducing these historical characters to local
residents, finding a non-profit umbrella organization, forming a MRSP Board of Directors, giving
demonstrations, researching grant possibilities, meeting with our sponsors, continually learning
more history and prehistory, making paintings, photographs and plans and DVDs of the sculpture
park, receiving land from the City of Prairie du Chien and support from local governments. All of
this I have been doing with a lot of help from friends and sponsors, MRSP Board members and local
residents.
Florence Bird
Editor's Corner: Blackhawk Goes to School
A year ago, Chief Blackhawk traveled to
Joni Peterson's classroom in North Crawford
school, located halfway between Soldiers Grove
and Gays Mills.
The journey began at the 2009 Driftless
Area Art Festival, when the art teacher spotted
the top half of the full-size clay model that had
been used to produce the bronze statue now
standing in the MRSP. The model was perched on
a stool beside the Sculpture Park booth. Peterson
immediately saw it not only as something her
students could sketch, but as the starting point
for a lesson about the history of the area.
First, her classes talked about history.
Sculptures like this often show the subject
Chief Blackhawk visits a school classroom
Students loved hearing the scuptor
explain the Emma Big Bear "mock-
ette."
smiling, but clearly Blackhawk isn't, Peterson
pointed out. Why?
Then came the art. All of her classes, from
kindergarteners to high school seniors, created
three or four different versions of Blackhawk.
Some used tempera paints, some drew him with
"flesh tones of the world" colored pencils, or torn
paper that included advertising with printed
words and torn construction papers to create
collages. Every K-12 class portrayed him in a
multiitude of ways and sizes.
"It was a joy to have his presence grace my
classroom," Peterson says.
Unfortunately, the model was one of the
many objects that burned in last June's fire, but
there remain two small clay maquettes that
Florence Bird is willing to lend, one of Emma Big
Bear and one of John Lawler.
If you are an art teacher who would like to
give your students an experience like the North
Crawford students had, or if you know an art
teacher who might be interested, contact the
sculptor at florencebird@centurylink.net.
Marilyn Leys
La Crosse Class Hears History
Fourth and fifth Grade students from the School
of Technology and Arts 1 in La Crosse had a special treat
on October 7th when they visited the Mississippi River
Sculpture Park as a part of a field trip to the Prairie du
Chien area. They got to meet with Florence Bird, the
sculptor responsible for designing the bronze figures
currently on display in the park.
These students focus on an integrated approach
to learning, and the Mississippi River Sculpture Park fits
in nicely with this concept. As part of their history, art
and literature lessons that day, the children were able to
learn about the research that is done by the sculptor and
how she uses this historical research to help her
formulate a concept of the statues. The process used by
the artist and the foundry to get the final pieces
in place was interesting to the students, and the poetry
on display with the statues showed how words could be
used to enhance the historical and artistic aspects of
each piece.
The students were very interested in the history of Blackhawk and the battle in which he
was so prominent. We learned about Dr. Beaumont, something which very few of the children knew,
and also what a voyageur is.
We would like to thank Florence for providing our students with such a valuable lesson on
how we can use art to remember, and see, the history of the area.
Pamela Helgerson-Dome, parent volunteer
Hidden Treasures: Eagle Watching
All along the Mississippi River in Southwest Wisconsin
and Northeast Iowa, we are fortunate to live among many bald
eagle families who stay in their nesting and breeding grounds by
making this their year-round home. This is because there are
safe nesting areas and ample food, and waterways that remain
open
At Effigy Mounds National Monument, across the
Mississippi from Prairie du Chien, then north from Marquette,
Iowa, there is a replica of a huge nest and information about the
birds. As you drive west over the bridge, keep watching on the
right, because many times, in mid-winter, an eagle or two or
three will perch on one of the trees that's tall enough to extend
above the bridge railing.
The best thing about a below-zero day along the
Mississippi is that the scarcity of open water forces the eagles to congregate wherever fishing is
available. The dam at Lynxville, on Highway 35 north of Prairie du Chien on the Wisconsin side, is
often a reliable place to spot eagles.
Hosting its annual Bald Eagle Appreciation Day in February, 2011, the Prairie du Chien
Chamber of Commerce will provide outdoor bald eagle viewing through spotting scopes, on-site
birding experts, and children's activities. Here you'll see plenty of eagles roosting and flying about
the Marquette-Joliet Bridge between Iowa and Wisconsin, where the warmer spring-fed sloughs keep
the icy waters partially open. Other nearby bald eagle watching locations are at the many waterfront
parks, including the Mississippi River Sculpture Park and Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin and
Pikes Peak State Park and Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa.
Contact the Prairie du Chien chamber at 800-732-1673 for more information about these
sites and events.
Rogeta Halvorson
River Visits Sculpture Park
Shaded by his tree and sandbags, the Voyageur finds himself in the Mississippi once again.
The Mississippi River is in our name, but last fall it was in the park too.
Heavy rain north of Prairie du Chien made it obvious that once again St. Feriole island
would not escape flooding. The statues are anchored in solid bases of concrete, so there was no
doubt that they would remain in place. But at the request of Tom Nelson, one of the volunteers who
maintains the park, prisoners from the state-run Prairie du Chien Correctional Facility put sandbags
around the upstream side of each statue and on top of each fence post. This was to protect the
statues from floating branches and other debris and to keep the fenceposts from floating up and
away, but not to keep the water out. Before it crested, the river came up to the shoulders of the
Voyageur and touched the feet of the Victorian Lady, but it didn't reach the other statues or the fire
circle.
With the Mississippi still high and full of debris, the MRSP board was forced to cancel the
fall color cruise that was advertised in our last newsletter, but by October 4, Florence Bird was able
to drive to the edge of the island and take a walk to see the sculptures. The reclining Voyageur was
still surrounded by water, although he was visible. All of the other sculptures were above the water,
but they still had sandbags behind them. Marks on the grass showed where the floodwater had
reached.
The statues, including the Voyageur, looked just the same as they had before the flood, a
testimonial to the lasting quality of bronze.
Emma Portrait Winner
Over a few months' time this fall, the MRSP board
of directors was busy selling raffle tickets to help complete
the Emma Big Bear sculpture, which is the fifth sculpture
planned in Phase I of the park. The raffle prize was a
The winner, at far right, takes charge
of the painting. She's accompanied by
her daughter and the artist.
large oil on canvas painting painted and donated by
Sculpture Park artist Florence Bird depicting Emma Big
Bear in full Winnebago (Ho Chunk) dress standing below
Paint Rock. Big Bear's family lived very near this area
where Paint Creek empties into the Mississippi River north
of Waukon Junction, Iowa.
The board and guests gathered at the sculpture
park to draw out a ticket containing the winner's name
from an Emma Big Bear basket owned by board member
Rogeta Halvorson. Bob Nagl, a Spring Green friend of the
artist, mixed up the 812 raffle tickets and drew Connie
Halvorson's winning ticket. Mrs. Halvorson and her
husband, Roger, own Eagles Landing Winery across the
river in Marquette, Iowa. Part of their building was Emma
Big Bear's last place of residence before she passed away
in 1968 when she was almost 100. The winery houses the
Emma Big Bear museum containing the Halvorsons' private
collection of her memorabilia. Their wine's label is named
"Marquette Maid" in honor of Emma Big Bear.
Connie and Rogeta Halvorson are working on a book about Emma Big Bear, which they hope
to release in time for the sculpture's unveiling.
Was the win divine intervention? Or was Mrs. Halvorson just very lucky that day in the fall
of 2010? Either way, the Halvorsons are displaying the painting at Eagles Landing Winery for a while
and then may donate it to an area museum for the public to enjoy.
The MRSP's goal is to have the remaining $55,000 raised next year to install Emma Big
Bear's sculpture on her 142nd birthday, July 5, 2011. To join the growing number of folks helping to
bring this sculpture into the park, visit www.MississippiRiverSculpturePark.com to make a donation
or volunteer your time.
Musings on Modern Sculpture
When many of us think of modern art, we think of abstract images. Abstract art electrified the
art scene in the 20th century, and art historians distinguish it from figurative art which is equally
characteristic of our times. The British Tate Museum defines figurative art as modern art that
"retains strong references to the real world and particularly to the human figure." Figurative art
spans a variety of forms, from realistic to surrealistic. For example, both Picasso and Degas are
figurative artists. Pablo Picasso is a figurative artist who exaggerate elements of the human body
to the point of surrealism, playing with abstraction to express emotional dimensions of his figures
in a new way. In contrast, visualize Edgar Degas's ballerina, "Little Dancer Aged 14." Figurative
realists like Degas (whom Picasso greatly admired) choose secular subjects and convey them in ways
that are more like the way we naturally see the world.
Contemporary realist sculptors like Wisconsin's Florence Bird typically represent people in their
daily lives, often at work like Degas's ballerinas, and treat the human figure frankly and naturally.
Bird's "Black Hawk" is represented in the stance of leadership, which is at the core of his persona,
while the "Voyageur" is resting from his day's exertions. Bird portrays Emma Big Bear weaving a
basket in the style of her Ho Chunk tradition. The artist has sculpted three-dimensional portraits of
real individuals. Her statues in the Mississippi River Sculpture Park are excellent examples of
modern realist sculpture.
To learn more: Museum websites are great places to learn more about figurative and realist
sculpture. The links I've referenced include The Tate Museum in London, New York's Metropolitan
Museum of Art, and the official Pablo Picasso Website in France. Check them out!
Sara Burr
Join Project Emma
In two recent meetings the Sculpture Park board has outlined a bold and exciting plan for
2011. "Project Emma" - short for the drive to complete the Emma Big Bear sculpture - will be the top
priority, including finishing fund raising, enlarging and completing the modeling of the clay
sculpture, casting it in bronze, and installing it in the park, just in time to celebrate the Ho Chunk
artisan's 142nd birthday in July. Approximately $55,000 remains to be raised to complete the
project. The long-awaited installation of the Emma Big Bear Sculpture will mark a milestone with
the completion of Phase I of the multi-figure sculpture park.
The second major goal is to transform the board's focus from "fund-raising" to "friend-
raising" with the establishment of a viable Friends of the Sculpture Park organization. We hope that
this effort will expand the base of individuals interested in the many facets of the Mississippi River
Sculpture Park.
Emma Big Bear will be the first 20
th
century figure to be represented in the Sculpture Park.
She is an enduring symbol of cultural persistence and adaptation to a world changing around here.
In the post World War II decades, many American Indian people became assimilated into
mainstream American culture, but Emma Big Bear, a resident of Marquette, Iowa, retained her
Indian identity and actively cultivated her native craft traditions, making baskets and jewelry that
she sold to area residents and tourists. Emma is remembered by many people still living in the
area and serves as a tangible link between today and the storied past of the Mississippi River Valley.
The Sculpture Park board hopes to launch a short but aggressive fundraising campaign at
the beginning of 2011, with a goal to be done by March 1 - in time to meet the foundry's schedule
for a completed sculpture by July 1. Details for the campaign are currently being formulated and will
be announced early in January.
There are many ways that you can help to make Project Emma a reality. To find out more,
visit our website at mississippiriversculpturepark.com.
Michael Douglass
Marilyn Leys, Editor
Touch History
A publication of the Mississippi River Sculpture Park
Relish the history and art of the confluence region by joining the Friends of the Park.
Remember to sign up before December 31, 2010 so you secure your lifetime annual dues at
the low rate of $15 per person or family. Members enjoy Mississippi River Sculpture Park
special events and publications, while their dues support the Park's maintenance and
development.
Membership in the Friends makes a great holiday gift, too! For more details, click here.
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