Our Lady of Grace Grotto, (sculpture).

Our Lady of Grace Grotto, (sculpture).

Kaufman, J. M., sculptor.

Lavery, Damien, sculptor.

Our Lady of Grace Grotto, (sculpture).

1929. Dedicated July 25, 1931. Rededicated Aug. 15, 1974.

Concrete, rock, quartz, and seashell.

Approx. 20 x 50 x 50 ft.

(Neon sign:) "Our Lady of Grace Grotto" unsigned

Band shell-type structure which contains statue of Mary and other smaller statues. The statue of Mary is flanked by two seashells. Fountains, pools, bridges in formal arrangement in front of the structure.

Religion -- New Testament -- Mary

Outdoor Sculpture -- Iowa -- West Burlington

St. Mary Catholic Church, 420 Mt. Pleasant Street, West Burlington, Iowa 52655

Begun in 1929 by two Benedictine priests, Father Kaufman and Father Lavery, and dedicated by Archbishop Henry Rohlman in 1931. Constructed of thousands of native and imported stones which were donated by contributors from every state and many foreign nations. Of the two seashells that flank Mary, one is from the Atlantic Ocean and the other is from the Pacific Ocean. IAS files contain a pamphlet discussing the grotto. SOS! survey reported Father Kaufman's first and middle initials as J. M.; attached pamphlet gave initials as M. J.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Iowa survey, 1996.

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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