Eusebio Francisco Kino, S. J., (sculpture).

Eusebio Francisco Kino, S. J., (sculpture).

Martinez, Julian, 1921- , sculptor.

Fundicion Artistica, founder.

Pace Construction, fabricator.

Eusebio Francisco Kino, S. J., (sculpture).

Padre Kino Memorial Statue, (sculpture).

Commissioned ca. Aug. 1987. 1988. Dedicated Jan. 13, 1989.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: concrete with small pebbles.

Sculpture: approx. 15 x 8 x 14 ft.; Base: approx. 14 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 16 1/2 ft. (2.5 tons).

(On bronze plaque on front of sculpture, near base:) Eusebio Francisco Kino, S.J. (On bronze plaque on right rear side of sculpture, near base:) Escultro Julian Martinez (On metal bands on front of base:) Eusebio Francisco Kino, S.J./1654-1711/Julian Martinez, Sculptor/Mexico, 1988. (On rear of base:) Pace Const, Inc./1988. signed

A portrait of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino seated on his horse. His proper right hand holds an abalone shell up to his chest and his proper left hand holds the horse's reins. He is dressed in a broad-brimmed hat and a cloak. A water gourd hangs from the proper right side of his saddle and a saddlebag hangs from the proper left side. The horse's head is drooping and its legs are bending from weariness. The sculpture rests on a tall rectangular base.

Portrait male -- Kino, Eusebio Francisco -- Full length

Occupation -- Religion -- Clergy

Occupation -- Religion -- Missionary

Occupation -- Other -- Explorer

Occupation -- Other -- Colonizer

Ethnic -- Italian

Outdoor Sculpture -- Arizona -- Tucson

Administered by City of Tucson, Department of Parks and Recreation, 900 South Randolph Way, Tucson, Arizona 85716

Located Northwest corner of Kino Boulevard & Winsett, Tucson, Arizona

The sculpture commemorates 17th-century Italian missionary and explorer, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. Father Kino is credited with introducing livestock in the Southwest and teaching farming techniques to the Indians. He explored thousands of miles of uncharted land, opening up what is now Arizona, and Sonora, Mexico to European settlement. While in San Xavier del Bac near Tucson in the late 1680s, Pima Indians gave Kino blue abalone shells as a gesture of respect. After discovering the shells could only have come from the Pacific Shores, Kino spent nearly 20 years trying to find a land route to California and the Pacific Ocean. Kino was successful in finding the land route, proving California was not an island, as previously thought, but a part of the continent.

The sculpture was commissioned by the Arizona Historical Society as part of a $100,000 project spearheaded by an ad hoc committee of the Arizona Historical Society together with the Pathfinders, the society's fund-raising group. A portion of the funding was raised by the Three Statues for Three Centuries Campaign. Tucson and Pima County contributed $48,000 to the effort. A group of about sixteen local businesses and individuals also donated to the project.

Three casts of the sculpture were made for installation in three different locations, each representing a significant place in Kino's life. One sculpture was given to the Italian province of Trento, Kino's birthplace; one was given to Magdalena, Sonora, where Kino died in 1711; and the third was placed in Tucson, where Kino founded San Xavier del Bac, his northernmost mission. The Three Statues for Three Centuries Committee placed scrolls listing names of project supporters in each of the three sculptures.

For related reading see Robert M. Quinn's "Guide to Public Art in Tucson," Tucson, AZ: Tucson/Pima Arts Council, 1987, pg. 10 and Jan Booth Sheridan's "Outdoor Sculpture in Metro Phoenix," 1986. IAS files contain related articles from the Tucson Citizen, Dec. 3, 1988 and Oct. 12, 1988, pg. 1E-2E; and the Arizona Daily Star, Aug. 8, 1987, pg. 4B and Jan.14, 1989, pg. 1A; and a copy of the dedication program.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Arizona, Tucson survey, 1994.

Arizona Daily Star, Jan. 14, 1989, pg. 1A.

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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