Erma's Desire, (sculpture).

Erma's Desire, (sculpture).

Raimondi, John Richard, 1948- , sculptor.

Erma's Desire, (sculpture).

1974-1976. Dedicated 1976.

Digital Reference:

Approx. 20 x 50 x 15 ft.

Abstract -- Geometric

Outdoor Sculpture -- Nebraska -- Grand Island

Administered by State of Nebraska, Nebraska Department of Roads, Design Division, 1500 Highway, N-2, Lincoln, Nebraska 68502

Located Nebraska Interstate 80, Grand Island, eastbound rest area, between Doniphan & Phillips interchanges, Grand Island, Nebraska

Nearby plaque reads: ERMA'S DESIRE/JOHN RAIMONDI/COR-TEN STEEL/THIS IS ONE OF TEN SCULPTURES/SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED AS PART OF/NEBRASKA'S CELEBRATION OF/THE NATION'S BICENTENNIAL.

Erma's Desire is one nine pieces actually completed as part of a Bicentennial celebration to place sculpture along Interstate-80. The idea for the 500-mile sculpture garden originated with Thomas A. Yates, who with Norman Geske, proposed the project to the Nebraska American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in August 1973. The commission endorsed the project and made a $100,000 grant toward the total project costs of $535,000. Additional funders included the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, the Nebraska ArtsCouncil, the Nebraska Art Association, the National Endowment for the Arts, and private and corporate donations. The project was controversial because of the abstract nature of the sculpture and because no Nebraska artist was selected in the competition. IAS files contain related newsclippings from the Lincoln Journal and Star, and the Omaha World-Herald, 1973-1986; an excerpt from World-Herald Magazine of the Midlands, June 29, 1986; and a brochure printed by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development: "Nebraska's 500-Mile Sculpture Garden." Erma is the artist's mother and title alludes to her wish to see her son succeed.

IAS files contain a copy of an April 20, 2011 "Memorandum of Understanding Between The Nebraska Department of Roads and the Nebraska Arts Council Regarding The Nebraska Interstate-80 Bicentennial Sculpture Project" describing responsibilities for the care of the sculptures.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Nebraska survey, 1994.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

Nebraska Department of Roads, 2011.

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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Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

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