Students Aspire - Elizabeth Catlett

We just learned about the sculpture of Booker T. Washington by Richmond Barthé.

Another famous American sculpture is Students Aspire by Elizabeth Catlett made in 1978 in Washington D.C.

This is a sculpture of an African American man and woman holding each other and raising their hands toward a circle with a picture of an equals sign in it. There are 4 other circles for some of the different types of science and engineering in the world, like gears for a mechanical engineer, a protractor for a civil engineer, a glass bottle for chemistry, and a circuit picture for electrical.
At the bottom is a tree trunk, and the two students are holding each other and reaching out like branches of the tree.

The sculptor Elizabeth Catlett was born in 1915 in Washington D.C.
Her grandparents had been slaves, so growing up she knew that life had been hard for African Americans.
She tried to go to college at one university, but they would not let her in because she was black.
So she ended up going to Howard University, which was a college where they let black people in.

She spent many years making art and teaching, and later moved to Mexico to be a teacher and artist.


(from: wikipedia - students aspire)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Benjamin Franklin - Hiram Powers

Booker T. Washington - Richmond Barthé

We just learned about the sculpture of Alice in Wonderland by Jose de Creeft.

Another famous American sculpture is Booker T. Washington made by Richmond Barthé in New York in 1946.

In America after the Civil War was over and slavery was made illegal, a lot of African American people who lived as slaves in the south moved to the north to find places to live and get jobs.

Many places in the south were still not very friendly toward African Americans, so they wanted to go to places in the north where they felt more free.

Barthé was born in Mississippi and grew up wanting to be an artist.
He tried to go to a college in the south but they would not let him because he was African American, so he went to art college in Pennsylvania.
Later on he moved to New York where a lot of African Americans were living and getting jobs, and he became a famous artist there.

Booker T. Washington was a famous African American who fought for the rights of freed slaves after the civil war.


(from: wikipedia - richmond barthé)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Water Nymph and Bitterna - William Rush

Alice in Wonderland - Jose de Creeft

We just learned about the American sculpture of Puma by William Zorach.

Another famous American sculpture is Alice in Wonderland by Jose de Creeft made in New York in 1959.

This is a bronze statue in Central Park in New York, and it is a favorite for little kids to climb on, so the bronze has become worn down and shiny all over it.

It has Alice sitting on a mushroom, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter.
The sculpture was made to honor a famous rich person's wife who loved the stories of Alice in Wonderland.

The artist Jose de Creeft was born in 1884 in Spain, and grew up learning about art in different places in Europe.
In 1929 he moved to New York and set up a studio there and made many sculptures like this one.


(from: wikipedia - jose de creeft)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chacmool

Puma - William Zorach

We just learned about the sculpture Dream Lady by Edward McCartan.

Another famous American sculpture is Puma by William Zorach made in 1954 in Philadelphia.

Zorach was born in Lithuania in 1889, and moved to America when he was 5.
He grew up learning how to be an artist in America.
While he was an artist, a lot of other artists in America were making things in the old classical style, but Zorach liked the cubism style.

He made many paintings and sculptures in America and was even a college art teacher for many years.


(from: wikipedia - william zorach)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Xicalcoliuhqui

Dream Lady - Edward McCartan

We just learned about the statue of Prometheus by Paul Manship.

Another famous American sculpture is Dream Lady by Edward McCartan made in Chicago in 1922.

This statue was made to honor Eugene Field, who was a famous writer who wrote some very famous poems like Wynken, Blinken and Nod.

The sculptor McCartan was born in 1879 in New York where he grew up studying art.
He went to Paris for a few years to study art, and usually made things in the old Classical style which meant everything looked very realistic.


(from: wikipedia - edward mccartan)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: San Martín Pajapan Monument 1

Prometheus - Manship

We just learned about the Vision of Peace by Carl Milles.

Another famous American sculpture is Prometheus by Paul Manship in New York in 1934.

In the 1920s in America, some sculptors started making statues that were a lot like the very old Greek statues in the art style called Classical Art.

Paul Manship was born in Minnesota in 1885 and grew up learning to be an artist.
When he was 24 he won an art competition and got a trip to to go Rome Italy.
While he was there he really learned to like the old Classical style, and when he came back to America he started making statues like he saw in Europe.

The Prometheus sculpture is made of bronze, and it is in New York at the famous Rockefeller Center.
It is 18 feet tall and weighs 8 tons.
Prometheus is a Titan from Greek mythology who brought fire to people by stealing it from the sun.
In this sculpture it has a big ring around Prometheus that he is falling through toward the earth.

On the wall behind the statue are the words: "Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends."


(from: wikipedia - prometheus (manship))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Toltec Atlantean figures from Tula

Vision of Peace - Carl Milles

We just learned about the statue of Georgia O'Keefe by Gaston Lachaise.

Another famous American sculpture is the Vision of Peace by Carl Milles made in Minnesota in 1936.

This statue was made to remember the people from Minnesota who died in World War I.

At the bottom of the statue are 5 Native Americans sitting around a fire, and in the middle in the smoke coming up from the fire is a Native American God of Peace.
It wasn't made just for Native Americans, but for the whole world.

The statue is 38 feet high, and made of onyx.
It is on top of a moving base at the bottom that slowly spins the statue around about 1 time every few hours.

Carl Milles was born in Sweden in 1875, and became a famous artist working there until he was 56.
In 1931 he moved to Michigan to be part of the Cranbrook school, and made many sculptures for the school grounds.
He made many other sculptures in Michigan and other parts of the midwest like Minnesota and Wisconsin.


(from: wikipedia - carl milles)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Montezuma's Headdress

Georgia O'Keefe - Gaston Lachaise

We just learned about the sculpture of Richard Yates by Albin Polasek .

Another famous work of American art is the sculpture of Georgia O'Keefe made by Gaston Lachaise in 1927.

Lachaise was born in 1882 in France, where he grew up learning how to be a sculptor.
He met an American woman named Isabel and fell in love with her, so when he was about 20 years old he moved to America with her and they got married.

He was mostly famous for making sculptures of women that looked very big and powerful, like a force of nature.
Most people made sculptures of women that were very small and delicate, so this different way of making sculptures of women was seen as a way to give power to women who were seen by some people as weak.

He also made sculptures of famous people like Georgia O'Keefe.
She was a famous American artist, who some people called the Mother of American modernism.


(from: wikipedia - gaston lachaise)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Teocalli of Sacred War

Richard Yates - Albin Polasek

We just learned about the Two Circus Women by Nadelman.

Another famous American sculpture is Richard Yates by Albin Polasek made in Springfield Illinois in 1923.

Richard Yates was the Governor of Illinois in 1860.
Before the Civil War he said he did not like slavery, and helped get soldiers to fight with the north in the Civil War against slavery.

Abraham Lincoln was also from Illinois, and he was friends with Richard Yates.

The sculptor Albin Polasek was born in 1879 in the Czech Republic.
When he was 22 years old in 1901 he moved to Pennsylvania to try and get a good job and make money.


(from: wikipedia - albin polasek)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Wrestler

Two Circus Women - Nadelman

We just learned about the Detroit Zoo's Rackham Fountain by Parducci.

Another famous American Sculpture is Two Circus Women by Elie Nadelman in New York in 1930.

In America in the 1900s a lot of sculptors came from Europe to get away from World War I, and to try and earn money by making sculptures.

Eli Nadelman was born in Poland in 1882, and became a famous sculptor there, even meeting with famous artists like Picasso.

In 1914 he left Poland and moved to America to get away from the war, and made many famous sculptures.
He also collected sculptures from other artists and made his own Museum of Folk Arts in Riverdale New York.

When the Great Depression hit, he had a very hard time making money, and when he had to sell his Museum and art studio many of his sculptures were destroyed.

A while after his death his art was rediscovered and many of his sculptures have been copied and remade around the country.

His sculpture of Two Circus Women was made in 1930, out of paper mache over plaster.
Plaster is kind of like cement, and paper mache is like paper covered in glue that is stuck on top of the plaster to decorate it.

Nadelman tried to make the circus performers look big and round, but not with very clear scultpure of their face.
It was not a very famous statue at the time, but later on it was copied and remade into a big marble statue and put at the famous New York State Theater.


(from: wikipedia - elie nadelman)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Were Jaguar Sculpture

Detroit Zoo Rackham Fountain - Parducci

We just learned about the National Shrine of the Little Flower by Chambellan.

Another famous American Sculputre is the Detroit Zoo Rackham Fountain by Corrado Parducci.

Corrado Parducci was born in Italy in 1900, and moved to the USA when he was 4 years old.

When he was young he went to art school, and at 17 he started working as an architectural sculptor.

There was a famous architect in Detroit named Albert Kahn who liked his art so much he asked him to come to Detroit, where he made some famous sculptures like the art on the Guardian Building in Detroit.

He also made other sculptures, like the Rackham Memorial Fountain in the Detroit Zoo.

When Parducci first came to Detroit, he only planned on staying for work for a little while, but because Detroit was so busy and successful he moved his whole family to Detroit and spent the rest of his life making sculptures all over hundreds of buildings in Michigan.


(from: wikipedia - detroit zoo)


(from: wikipedia - corrado parducci)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Aztec Sun Stone

National Shrine of the Little Flower - Chambellan

We just learned about the Hugo Grotius - C. Paul Jennewein.

Another famous architecture sculpture is the National Shrine of the Little Flower by Rene Paul Chambellan, made in 1931 in Michigan.

The large limestone tower at this church has a 28 foot tall sculpture of Jesus on a cross. There are also smaller sculptures of the writers of the gospel, Matthew Mark Luke and John.
Below the crucifix are the last words that Jesus said before he died.

The sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan was born in New Jersey, and studied art in New York and Paris.

He spent most of his life as a sculptor of artwork that was part of buildings.


(from: wikipedia - national shrine of the little flower basilica)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: La Mojarra Stela

Hugo Grotius - C. Paul Jennewein

We just learned about the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial by Walker Hancock.

Another famous sculpture is the relief of Hugo Grotius by C. Paul Jennewein at the U.S. House of Representatives, made in 1950.

In the House building there are 23 different sculptures like this of famous people who worked in law and government.
Hugo Grotius was Dutch, and was a lawyer, a judge and a diplomat born in 1583.

The sculpture is made of marble and is a relief meaning there is a flat background and the face sticks out from it.

The artist Jennewein was born in Germany in 1890, and moved to the US when he was 17.
He was mostly famous for making architectural sculptures of people that were part of buildings.


(from: wikipedia - c. paul jennewein)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Double Headed Serpent

Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial - Hancock

We just learned about the Astor Memorial Doors by Karl Bitter.

Another famous American scultpure is the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial made by Walker Hancock in 1952.

After many people died in world war II that worked for the railroad, they wanted to put up a memorial to remember the people who served in the war.

Walker Hancock was born in Missouri and later went to school for art in Pennsylvania.
He was born in 1901 served in World War II, and was one of the people known as Monuments Men who helped save famous works of arts that had been stolen by the Nazis.


(from: wikipedia - pennsylvania railroad world war ii memorial)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Serpent Labret with Articulated Tongue

Astor Memorial Doors - Karl Bitter

We just learned about the Alexander Macomb - Adolph Alexander Weinman.

Another famous architectural sculpture is the Astor Memorial Doors by Karl Bitter, made in 1891 in New York at Trinity Church.

The doors were named for John Jacob Astor, who was a very famous business person in America.

The tympanum top of the sculpture has a big sculpture of Jesus standing above his 12 apostles.
On the doors are six sculpted picture boxes showing stories from the Bible: Adam and Eve, Jacob, Jesus' empty tomb, Jesus' mother Mary, praying at church, and heaven

The sculptor Karl Bitter was born in Austria in 1867.
He grew up there and learned how to be a sculptor, and then when he was 21 he moved to America.

While he was living in New York City he entered the competition to sculpt these Astor Memorial Doors, and won.
After that he had some money and people knew about him so he went on to make many more sculptures, mostly architectural as part of buildings.


(from: wikipedia - karl bitter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Olmec Colossal Heads

Alexander Macomb - Adolph Alexander Weinman

We just learned about the Nebraska State Capitol - The Sower - Lee Lawrie.

Another famous American statue is the sculpture of Alexander Macomb made by Adolph Alexander Weinman in Detroit Michigan in 1908.

Alexander Macomb was born in Detroit and went on to be the commander of the US Army.
In Michigan the area called Macomb County was named after him.

The artist Weinman was from Germany and moved to the US to live in New York when he was 14.
He spent most of his life working on buildings as an architectural sculptor, but also did some statues like this one in Detroit.


(from: wikipedia - adolph alexander weinman)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nubian Pyramids

Nebraska State Capitol - The Sower - Lee Lawrie

We just learned about Philadelphia City Hall.

Another famous building with a lot of sculptures is the Nebraska State Capitol, and The Sower by Lee Lawrie.

This building was made in 1932, and has many sculptures and works of art all over it.

It is supposed to be all about growth, so the building is a big tower like a growing plant, and there is a statue on the top called "The Sower" of a person who has a bag of seeds and is throwing them out to grow.

Lee Lawrie was the artist who came up with the look of the building and the sculpture on the outside.

Lawrie was born in Germany, and moved to the US when he was a kid.
When he was 14 he got a job working as a sculptor and worked on the Nebraska capitol when he was 55 years old.


(from: wikipedia - nebraska state capitol)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Musawwarat Es Sufra

Philadelphia City Hall - Calder, Struthers

We just learned about the Crazy Horse Memorial.

Another famous American sculpture is Philadelphia City Hall, made in 1901.

This building was made of brick, marble and limestone.
When it was made, it was the largest building in the world where people could live and work.

The sculptors Alexander Calder and William Struthers worked together to make hundreds of sculptures that are on and around the building.

On the top of the building is a sculpture of William Penn, the person who first started the land of Pennsylvania and named it after himself.
It is made of bronze and is over 30 feet tall.



(from: wikipedia - philadelphia city hall)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lalibela Cross

Crazy Horse Memorial

We just learned about the Mount Rushmore.

Another famous monument carved into a mountain is the Crazy Horse Memorial.

This is a carving of the famous Native American warrior named Crazy Horse who lived during the late 1800s.

The sculpture is not finished, but the plan is for it to be of Crazy Horse riding a horse.
It would be over 640 feet long and over 560 feet tall.

The statue was started a long time ago in 1948, and is still very far from being completed.
Korczak Ziolkowsk was the sculptor who first started it.
He had worked as a helper on Mount Rushmore before working on this sculpture.


(from: wikipedia - crazy horse memorial)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Church of Saint George, Lalibela

Mount Rushmore

We just learned about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Maya Lin.

Another famous American sculpture is Mount Rushmore, made by Gutzon Borglum in 1941 in South Dakota.

This sculpture was made of 4 presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Each of the heads is about 60 feet tall, and mountain is about 5,700 feet high.

The first idea for a sculpture on this mountain was to have some American West heroes like Lewis and Clark, Scagawea, and some famous Lakota Native Americans, but sculptor Borglum chose the presidents as he thought they would be a more popular tourist attraction.


(from: wikipedia - mount rushmore)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Obelisk of Axum