The Ritual of the Wholly Stone, (sculpture).

The Ritual of the Wholly Stone, (sculpture).

Beacom, Brian, sculptor.

Thomas, Steve, sculptor.

The Ritual of the Wholly Stone, (sculpture).

Ritual of the Wholey Stone, (sculpture).

Oct. 26, 1982-Nov. 9, 1982. Dedicated Nov. 9, 1982.

Field boulder, chains, and rock, painted.

Approx. H. 199 in. x W. 63 ft. x Diam. 63 ft. (300 lbs.).

A metamorphic rock hangs by chains from an inverted tripod comprised of pipes. The tripod is imbedded in a mound of rocks. An outer circle of 12 piles of smaller stones surrounds the work. A torch stands in each of these piles.

Architecture -- Military -- Fort

Outdoor Sculpture -- South Dakota -- Vermillion

Administered by University of South Dakota, Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts, 414 East Clark, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069

Located University of South Dakota, North of College of Fine Arts Building, Rotingen Strausse Road, Vermillion, South Dakota

The two artists who conceived and executed this project were graduate art students at the University. The project was designed to incorporate fine arts into campus life by involving students and local residents in its creation. The first phase was completed Oct. 26, 1982, with the construction of a bunker and the placement of an "army" of 140 red dots on black stakes in the ground. A flag with a red dot was placed nearby in a similar stone embankment. A square on a black stake was placed among the red dots as a "spy." Between Oct. 26 and Nov. 9, the actual "ceremony" date, a simulated invasion took place, in which students and residents participated in maneuvers and the formation of the dots was altered. On the night of the dedication ceremony, participants wore costumes with red dots, and formed a procession to the bunker, carrying the "Wholey Stone" with them. They then tore down and rebuilt the bunker, creating an inverted triangle from which to display the Wholly Stone.

IAS files include related articles from Volante, the University newspaper, Nov. 9, 1982 and Nov. 16, 1982 and an appendix entitled "The Ritual of the Wholey (sic) Stone: Environment, Happening or Earthwork?" by Steve Thomas.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, South Dakota survey, 1994.

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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