Dancing St. Francis, (sculpture).

Dancing St. Francis, (sculpture).

Granlund, Paul Theodore, 1925-2003, sculptor.

Dancing St. Francis, (sculpture).

Dancing Saint Francis, (sculpture).

Dancing Francis, (sculpture).

Dedicated Oct. 4, 1989.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Foundation: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. H. 9 1/2 ft. x W. 3 ft. (600 lbs.).

St. Francis, wearing a long robe tied around the waist, arches back and extends his arms over his head. His proper right leg is extended in the air as if he were dancing. In his hands, he holds a sun above his head. A St. Francis figure is cut out inside the sun as if it were a reflection. Beneath the feet of St. Francis is a small crescent moon. The sculpture is mounted atop a flat, square foundation.

Religion -- Saint -- St. Francis

Landscape -- Celestial -- Sun

Landscape -- Celestial -- Moon

Recreation -- Dancing

Outdoor Sculpture -- Wisconsin -- La Crosse

Administered by Viterbo College, 815 South 9th Street, LaCrosse, Wisconsin 54601

Located Viterbo College, Assissi Court, LaCrosse, Wisconsin

The sculpture was funded by an anonymous donor. A La Crosse committee member, responsible for overseeing the artist's commission, suggested that St. Francis be depicted as a dancing Francis. According to the artist, he sculpted St. Francis to suggest that he "is dancing and singing to Brother Sun and Sister Moon and delighting in God's presence." The sculpture was dedicated on Founder's Day, October 4, 1989, as part of Viterbo College's centennial celebration. It honors the Catholic heritage of Viterbo and its founders, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. IAS files contain related articles from the La Crosse Tribune (Wisconsin), Jan. 5, 1989, pg. B-3 and Sept. 13, 1989, pg. B-3; and The Independent Arts (Spring 1990): pg. 4. IAS files also contain college brochure on sculpture.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Wisconsin survey, 1994.

The Independent Arts (Spring 1990): pg. 4.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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