Mennonite Settler, (sculpture).

Mennonite Settler, (sculpture).

Nixon, Max, sculptor.

Sargent Cut Stone Company, fabricator.

Mennonite Settler, (sculpture).

1942. Dedicated Sept. 10, 1942.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: Kansas Silverdale limestone, painted; Base: concrete, painted; Mosaic: ceramic tile.

Sculpture: approx. H. 11 ft.; Base: approx. H. 6 ft.; Mosaic: Diam. 20 ft. (3 tons).

(Around edge of mosaic:) COMMEMORATING ENTRY INTO KANSAS FROM RUSSIA OF TURKEY RED HARD WHEAT BY MENNONITES, 1874 unsigned

The sculpture depicts in very little detail a standing male figure with a moustache and a long beard. In his lowered proper right hand he holds a wide-brimmed hat in front of him. His proper left arm is bent and rests across his waist with his proper left hand grasping his right arm at the elbow. The sculpture sits on a narrow, cylindrical base adorned with a ribbed surface. The base is placed in the center of a circular ceramic tile mosaic that illustrates the history of the Mennonite emigration from Russia to Kansas. The images depicted in the mosaic are: a Russian Byzantine-style church to represent the Russian heritage of the Kansas Mennonites; ships sailing the ocean bringing the Russian people and wheat to America; a train delivering the Mennonite settlers to Kansas; a Mennonite house, church, and school to represent Mennonite settlement in the Kansas wheat belt. The colors of the ceramic tiles in the mosaic are buff, black, terra cotta, avocado green, and sky blue.

Figure male -- Full length

Religion -- Mennonite

Occupation -- Farm -- Farmer

Architecture -- Boat -- Sailing Ship

Architecture -- Domestic -- House

Architecture -- Education

Architecture -- Religious -- Church

Architecture -- Vehicle -- Train

Ethnic -- Russian

Outdoor Sculpture -- Kansas -- Newton

Administered by City of Newton, Parks Department, Newton, Kansas 67114

Located Athletic Park, Newton, Kansas

The sculpture, which commemorates the economic contribution of the Mennonite community, was a joint project of the Newton Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Works Progress Administration. The salary of the sculptor was paid by the Works Progress Administration, and the cost of materials and installation was funded through the Newton Junior Chamber of Commerce. To raise the money they needed, the Newton Junior Chamber of Commerce launched a unique "wheat drive" on July 23, 1940 asking citizens to donate bushels of wheat that could then be sold with the proceeds going to fund the sculpture. The donations fell just short of the $2,500 needed, but the Works Progress Administration made up the difference. The artist carved the sculpture in Topeka at the Sargent Cut Stone Company with the help of an assistant. The sculpture was carved in six sections which were reassembled in Newton. IAS files contain an article from Mennonite Life (Sept. 1979), pg. 10-15 with details on the sculpture's commissioning, funding, and creation. For additional information see the Mennonite Library and Archives at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Kansas, Wichita survey, 1993.

Mennonite Life (Sept. 1979), pg. 10-15.

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

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

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

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System