Nebraska Hall of Fame discusses bronze busts
They line the corridors:
George W. Norris.
Willa Cather.
Chief Standing Bear.
Bronze busts on pedestals of prominent men and women who were shaped by their Nebraska experience and who helped shape the history of our state.
Last year, the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission selected the next hall of fame member, Charles Bessey, a botanist who proved trees could grow in the Nebraska Sandhills by leading the creation of the hand-planted forest near Halsey.
Now the commission is looking for a sculptor to create the Bessey bust.
Several people associated with the Hall of Fame project — or who know about bronze sculptures — helped answer a few questions:
How do you find a bust maker?
You and I don’t just run into them, but they are out there.
The Nebraska Arts Council has a list of university-trained artists. There are probably 10 to 15 people in Nebraska who do portraits in bronze, said Mike Smith, director of the Nebraska Historical Society.
Quite a few artists work in the Loveland, Colo., area, where there is a foundry nearby, which they need for melting the bronze.
The commission has put the word out to the artists’ community and to the general public.
Suzanne Wise, executive director of the Nebraska Arts Council.
What does a sculpture cost?
The price of bronze — like other metals — has soared in the past few years. It’s quadrupled in the last three or four years: Jim Brothers, of Lawrence, Kan., who produced the Chief Red Cloud bust and who expects to compete for the Bessey project.
The commission is expecting to spend between $12,000 to $20,000 for Mr. Bessey’s bust.
Why bronze?
It’s a traditional metal used for thousands of years. Bronze —that’s copper plus tin — is a good, strong metal that works well in molds.
It melts at a low enough temperature so you can pour it into a mold. It doesn’t shrink too much when it cools. It’s very stable, so under normal circumstances it will last for a long time.
We have ancient Egyptian bronzes and Chinese bronzes. If properly manufactured and properly maintained, a bronze sculpture should last longer than we can imagine
It doesn’t rust. Though there is the dread bronze disease that occurs when chloride gets at the surface, forming copper chloride.
The end result, over a very long period of time, is a little pile of pale green powder.
Chloride can be found in the water of fountains, in the salt used to melt snow and ice, from people’s fingers (we have salts in our finger).
But this is not a likely problem for the busts inside the Nebraska Capitol: Julie Reilly, director of the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center, part of the Nebraska Historical Society.
How do you pick a sculpture?
You can tell who is capable of this kind of work by looking at the artist’s credentials and what he/she has already done.
The sculpture must be able to do a realistic likeness and interpret the personality of the person: Suzanne Wise, Nebraska Arts Council.
What makes a good bust?
It’s a subtle thing and it is true with all art. A subtle, intangible quality that an artist brings to their work. You see with your gut and not with your head.
So walk down the hall of fame busts in the Capitol and see where your eyes go: Wise, Nebraska Arts Council.
What if the final product is terrible?
The final product is no surprise. Artists keep the commission informed as the bust progresses: Sculptor Jim Brothers.
Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.
George W. Norris.
Willa Cather.
Chief Standing Bear.
Bronze busts on pedestals of prominent men and women who were shaped by their Nebraska experience and who helped shape the history of our state.
Last year, the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission selected the next hall of fame member, Charles Bessey, a botanist who proved trees could grow in the Nebraska Sandhills by leading the creation of the hand-planted forest near Halsey.
Now the commission is looking for a sculptor to create the Bessey bust.
Several people associated with the Hall of Fame project — or who know about bronze sculptures — helped answer a few questions:
How do you find a bust maker?
You and I don’t just run into them, but they are out there.
The Nebraska Arts Council has a list of university-trained artists. There are probably 10 to 15 people in Nebraska who do portraits in bronze, said Mike Smith, director of the Nebraska Historical Society.
Quite a few artists work in the Loveland, Colo., area, where there is a foundry nearby, which they need for melting the bronze.
The commission has put the word out to the artists’ community and to the general public.
Suzanne Wise, executive director of the Nebraska Arts Council.
What does a sculpture cost?
The price of bronze — like other metals — has soared in the past few years. It’s quadrupled in the last three or four years: Jim Brothers, of Lawrence, Kan., who produced the Chief Red Cloud bust and who expects to compete for the Bessey project.
The commission is expecting to spend between $12,000 to $20,000 for Mr. Bessey’s bust.
Why bronze?
It’s a traditional metal used for thousands of years. Bronze —that’s copper plus tin — is a good, strong metal that works well in molds.
It melts at a low enough temperature so you can pour it into a mold. It doesn’t shrink too much when it cools. It’s very stable, so under normal circumstances it will last for a long time.
We have ancient Egyptian bronzes and Chinese bronzes. If properly manufactured and properly maintained, a bronze sculpture should last longer than we can imagine
It doesn’t rust. Though there is the dread bronze disease that occurs when chloride gets at the surface, forming copper chloride.
The end result, over a very long period of time, is a little pile of pale green powder.
Chloride can be found in the water of fountains, in the salt used to melt snow and ice, from people’s fingers (we have salts in our finger).
But this is not a likely problem for the busts inside the Nebraska Capitol: Julie Reilly, director of the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center, part of the Nebraska Historical Society.
How do you pick a sculpture?
You can tell who is capable of this kind of work by looking at the artist’s credentials and what he/she has already done.
The sculpture must be able to do a realistic likeness and interpret the personality of the person: Suzanne Wise, Nebraska Arts Council.
What makes a good bust?
It’s a subtle thing and it is true with all art. A subtle, intangible quality that an artist brings to their work. You see with your gut and not with your head.
So walk down the hall of fame busts in the Capitol and see where your eyes go: Wise, Nebraska Arts Council.
What if the final product is terrible?
The final product is no surprise. Artists keep the commission informed as the bust progresses: Sculptor Jim Brothers.
Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.
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