Login My List - 0 Help
	Search   Search Images   About

Keyword Browse Combined Highlights Search History All Catalogs

Search:  Artist BrowseTitle BrowseSubject BrowseObject Type Browse Owner Browse       Refine Search     > You are only searching: Art Inventories

More Smithsonian Searches     Who else has...     Berghs, William J.,     Berghs, Larry,     Johnson, Bob,     Ethnic -- Indian     Portrait female -- Owatonna     Portrait female -- Berghs, Vivian     Outdoor Sculpture -- Minnesota -- Owatonna     Sculpture

Owatonna, (sculpture). Artist:  Berghs, William J., d. 1941, sculptor. Berghs, Larry, sculptor. Johnson, Bob, sculptor. Title:  Owatonna, (sculpture). Other Titles:  Princess Owatonna, (sculpture). Dates:  1931. Digital Reference:  Medium:  Sculpture: cement. Dimensions:  Sculpture: approx. 5 1/2 ft. x 18 in. x 13 in.; Base: approx. 12 x 28 x 28 in. Inscription:  (Incised on top of base:) OWATONNA unsigned Description:  A portrait of the legendary Princess Owatonna stands wearing moccasins and wrapped in a blanket with her arms crossed. Her hair is in braids and she wears a headband and necklace. The figure is mounted on a rectangular base. Subject:  Ethnic -- Indian Portrait female -- Owatonna Portrait female -- Berghs, Vivian Object Type:  Outdoor Sculpture -- Minnesota -- Owatonna Sculpture Owner:  Administered by City of Owatonna, Park and Recreation Department, 540 West Hills Circle, Owatonna, Minnesota 55060 Located Mineral Springs Park, Owatonna, Minnesota Remarks:  Sign at beside sculpture reads: LEGEND OF OWATONNA/AT THE SITE OF THESE BUBBLING MINERAL SPRINGS/MANY MOONS AGO FRAIL PRINCESS OWATONNA WAS/RESTORED TO HEALTH THROUGH DRINKING THE CURING/WATERS CALLED MINNEWAUN./THE KINDLY SPIRIT OF CHIEF WABENA'S DAUGHTER/EVER BECKONS TO THE WEARY TRAVELER WHO VISITS/THIS PARK IN THE CITY NAMED AFTER HER. The sculpture was commissioned by the Owatonna Park Board as part of an effort to attract tourists. It was based on a poster which depicted an Indian girl dressed in a blanket, and was used to promote tourism. The sculpture was created by local mason William J. Berghs and his son Larry Berghs for $85. William Berghs' daughter Vivian was the model. The sculpture is boarded up every fall/winter and has been painted and sandblasted in the past. In 1987, the sculpture underwent restoration by Ray Brooks, owner of the St. Paul Fabricating and Decorating Company. The sculpture was sandblasted, cleaned and poly resin (made of fiberglass particles and hardening resin) applied to worn parts. A crack around the shoulders was carved out and recemented. After the structural work was completed, artist Bob Johnson restored the sculpture's finer features. He made the face more symmetrical, changed the blanket to drape more naturally, and gave detail to the mocassins. The sculpture was reinstalled on a new base closer to the fountain. IAS files contain related articles from the Owatonna People's Press, June 21, 1981; and March 12, 1987. References:  Save Outdoor Sculpture, Minnesota survey, 1995. Illustration:  Image on file. Owatonna People's Press, June 21, 1981. Note:  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. Repository:  Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 Control Number:  IAS MN000381   Copy/Holding information Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum Control Number   Inventory of American Sculpture MN000381 Add Copy to MyList Format: HTMLPlain textDelimited Subject:   Email to:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact