Friday, February 20, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Winnemucca sculptor selected
Paiute Indian's 7-foot statue will join one of Nevada's Sen. Pat McCarran in U.S. Capitol
By SEAN WHALEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
Benjamin Victor's sculpture of Sarah Winnemucca, second from left, stands beside those of other finalists on a table in the Governor's Mansion on Thursday in Carson City. The sculptures were created by, from left, Gareth Curtis, Victor, Sarah Sweetwater and Ed Dwight. Victor's depiction of Sarah Winnemucca was picked to represent Nevada in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall.
AP Photo
|
CARSON CITY -- Nevada officials selected a South Dakota university student to create a larger-than-life statue of Sarah Winnemucca for placement in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall.
Benjamin Victor, an art student at Northern State University, was one of four finalists interviewed Wednesday by the Sarah Winnemucca Statue Selection Committee.
After viewing models and interviewing the artists, the six-member panel, which included Nevada first lady Dema Guinn, picked Victor.
The other finalists were Sara Sweetwater of Elko, Ed Dwight of Denver and Gareth Curtis of Olympia, Wash.
Victor's representation of the Paiute Indian woman has her holding a book in her left hand while offering her namesake shellflower as a token of peace with her right.
Her hair and dress are windswept.
Winnemucca, who was born in 1844 and died in 1891 of tuberculosis, was the daughter and granddaughter of Paiute chiefs.
She wrote extensively about the federal government's treatment of Indians.
The 2001 Legislature picked Winnemucca as Nevada's second statue for the Statuary Hall. Nevada's other statue is of the late U.S. Sen. Pat McCarran.
In a news release announcing his selection, Victor said: "Wind is an icon for change. Sarah lived in the midst of change. She was strong and hard working, but she was also graceful."
Victor met with the descendants of Winnemucca as part of his research into the project.
Some Paiute tribal members and Winnemucca descendants attended the presentations and appeared pleased with the choice, said Bob Harmon, spokesman for the Department of Cultural Affairs.
The bronze statue will be about 7 feet tall and join the other statues contributed to the hall in Congress by the 50 states. It is expected to be completed in the spring of 2005.
Victor began working in sculpture two years ago and has created two life-size Samsons for Summit Bible College in Southern California and a life-size Delilah for a show in Wyoming.
He now is working on other projects, including a war memorial for Aberdeen Regional Airport in South Dakota.
Victor lived for a time in Las Vegas with his family after graduating high school.
The Nevada Women's History Project has raised $110,000 for the Sarah Winnemucca project. The funds will be used to create the bronze.
Some funds were used to pay for the models and travel expenses of the four finalists.
