2018年春天, students in Professor Jo Ortel’s “Contemporary Art in an Age of Global Warming” course were busy brainstorming ideas for their final project: a proposal for an art initiative at Nature at the Confluence, 附近的南伯洛伊特环境中心. 以中心主任的名字命名, Therese奥尔登堡, 参观了课堂并解释了中心的历史, 学生以斯拉记 Rogers ' 19, 迈克尔斯宾塞的18, and Jacob Wallis’18 were inspired to propose a cultural piece that would honor the Ho-Chunk’s inhabitation of the lands in the 1800s. Up until 1832, a large Ho-Chunk village existed at the confluence of the Turtle Creek and Rock River.

然而, when the group presented their idea to fellow classmates, they met some resistance and concerns about cultural appropriation. It became clear that revisions were needed and that including a Ho-Chunk voice in the process was critical.

进入:杜鲁门·洛. A professor emeritus at the University of 威斯康辛州-Madison, 杜鲁门 is an internationally acclaimed sculptor and ins高ation artist, 也是Ho-Chunk Nation的成员. Jo was highly familiar with 杜鲁门’s work, as she worked closely with him in the creation of 林地反射, a monograph about his life as a contemporary Native American artist. 就像乔在她的书里写的, Lowe is known for creating large abstract works in wood and metal; works that are “inspired by many elements of his world, 其中包括河流漩涡, 柳树, 瀑布, 悬崖和沙丘, 还有手工独木舟的结构.”

乔建议大家去找杜鲁门, and he got to work designing a concept model of an open-form structure, based loosely on the shape of traditional Ho-Chunk dwellings. 今年秋天, 以斯拉记 decided to get even more involved with the project by making it the topic of his senior capstone; he’s committed to seeing the concept model become a reality as a life-size sculpture at Nature of the Confluence. While 杜鲁门’s original small model is made from willow branches and rawhide, the finished sculpture will be metal and measure about 12 ft. 宽和6 ½- 7英尺. 高. 杜鲁门, 以斯拉记, and Jo are still deliberating about what type of metal to use and are in the process of narrowing down materials. The Hooper Corporation in Madison— a company familiar with Lowe’s aesthetic— will fabricate the final piece.

比尔Quackenbush, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Ho-Chunk Nation, pointed out that the form of Lowe’s sculpture does not match a traditional Ho-Chunk dwelling. 但, 正如乔在她关于杜鲁门的书中所写的那样, this is consistent with his style: He makes art “that is neither entirely representational nor exactly abstract. His recurrent themes are the natural environment and aspects, 真实的和想象的, 他的印第安血统.在制作配套标识时, 以斯拉记 knows that he’ll have to be clear that the piece is an artistic representation, 不是完全的复制品.

While 杜鲁门’s structure may not be an exact replica, it’s clear that 以斯拉记 feels that this journey—from idea to ins高ation— is one that couldn’t be replicated within the walls of the classroom. Traveling to Madison to work on the life-size model of 杜鲁门’s concept has been a hands-on experience that Rogers describes as “something you could never get in the classroom itself.”

该项目的筹款仍在进行中, but 以斯拉记 and Jo are confident that the project will be fully funded soon. 妮可弗雷德里克斯的17, a Beloit graduate and current staff member at the Confluence, 在这个过程中也发挥了关键作用, contributing her skills as a successful grant writer. Nature at the Confluence Director Therese奥尔登堡, 南伯洛伊特市长泰德·雷尔说, and Jo all envision that this sculpture could be the first of a series; 十大菠菜台子 students could act as facilitators, identifying appropriate artists and connecting them with the Confluence site.

For 以斯拉记, this capstone experience “ties in a lot of elements that I’ve done over my four years here.” An environmental studies and education double major, Rogers’ original hope was to create educational programming for a local environmental center like Welty or Nature at the Confluence. The sculpture will certainly accomplish this as a permanent exhibit that makes Ho-Chunk history visible and that reminds visitors to the Confluence of the long history of human interaction with land in the stateline region. 然而, as the first public art sculpture at Nature of the Confluence, this piece will not only commemorate past history, but it will also celebrate the present-day vitality of the 威斯康辛州 Ho-Chunk and the cultural contributions of a prominent local Ho-Chunk artist. As 以斯拉记 was clear to emphasize, “This [project] is really about Lowe and Lowe’s perspective. 我们只是让它发生的催化剂.”