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32-617: The Eternal Indian , sometimes called the Black Hawk Statue , is a 48-foot (14.6 m) sculpture by Lorado Taft located in Lowden State Park , near the city of Oregon, Illinois . Dedicated in 1911, the statue is perched over the Rock River on a 77-foot (23.5 m) bluff overlooking the city. The statue, according to the artist, represents the unconquerable spirit of Native Americans , using motifs from several tribal cultures. While not

64-595: A dozen years of work, Taft's Fountain of Time was unveiled at the west end of Chicago's Midway Plaisance in 1922. Based on poet Austin Dobson 's lines—"Time goes, you say? Ah no, Alas, time stays, we go." The fountain shows a cloaked figure of time observing the stream of humanity flowing past. The last major commission that Taft completed was two groups for the front entrance to the Louisiana State Capitol Building, dedicated in 1932. He left unfinished

96-523: A not-uncommon situation. In general, history has given Taft credit for helping to advance the status of women as sculptors. At a meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota to decide which artist submission to select for a monument of Col. William Colvill to go in the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda, the state art commission asked the opinion of Taft who was in the city at the time. While he did not recommend any of

128-510: A portrait statue, it was in part inspired by the life of Black Hawk (1767–1838), a leader and warrior of the Sauk . In 2009, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The statue was created by sculptor Lorado Taft, beginning in 1908. Taft at first created smaller studies of what would become the statue. The statue itself was dedicated in 1911. Taft noted at the dedication that

160-451: A spokesperson against the modern and abstract trends that developed during his lifetime. Taft's frequent lecture tours for the Chautauqua gave him a broad, popular celebrity status. In some settings, Taft is better known for his writings than for his sculpture. In 1903, Taft published The History of American Sculpture , the first survey of the subject. The revised 1925 version was to remain

192-472: A throne and advancing a step forward with outstretched arms in a gesture of generous greeting to her children. Two figures behind her on either side represent the university's motto, Learning and Labor. He received numerous awards, prizes, and honorary degrees. Taft was active until the end of his life. The week before he died, he attended the Quincy, Illinois , dedication ceremonies for his sculpture celebrating

224-650: A vast work to be called the Fountain of Creation which he planned to place at the opposite end of the Chicago Midway to the Fountain of Time . Parts of this work were donated to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and are now at the library and Foellinger Auditorium . The University named a dormitory and a street in Taft's honor. In 1965, his Chicago workplace at 6016 S. Ingleside Avenue (he moved there in 1906, when

256-449: Is eight inches to three feet thick. The interior is accessible through a door at the base, although visitors are currently not allowed inside the statue. The outer surface composed of cement , pink granite chips and screenings is three inches thick. At the dedication of the statue on July 1, 1911, Taft said that in the evenings he and members of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony often walked along

288-567: Is said to be the second largest monolithic concrete statue in the world (after Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro ). It wears a long blanket and stares across the river with folded arms. With the help of John G. Prasuhn , the young sculptor of the Chicago Art Institute , Lorado Taft created a figure almost 50 feet tall, including a six-foot base. Reinforced with iron rods, the hollow statue

320-717: The American Academy of Arts and Letters ; he headed the National Sculpture Society in the 1920s, exhibiting at both their 1923 and 1929 shows, and he served on the Board of Art Advisors of Illinois. He served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from 1925 to 1929, and was an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects . His papers reside in collections at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art ,

352-538: The Lincoln–Douglas debates . He died in his home studio in Chicago on October 30, 1936. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at Elmwood Cemetery near Bloomington, Illinois. Taft may be best remembered for his various fountains . The University of Illinois Archives has a series of photographs of most of Taft's important works, including many of their construction and preliminary models. Following more than

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384-474: The University of Illinois . In 1892, while the art community of Chicago was preparing for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, chief architect Daniel Burnham expressed concern to Taft that the sculptural adornments to the buildings might not be finished on time. Taft asked if he could employ some of his female students as assistants (it was not socially accepted for women to work as sculptors at that time) for

416-808: The Art Colony, which is now part of the Taft Campus of Northern Illinois University and is adjacent to Lowden State Park . An original model of the statue is on permanent display at Discovery Center Museum in Rockford, Illinois . Another model is located at the Oregon Public Library in Oregon, Illinois . The statue stands on a bluff approximately 140 feet (43 m) feet above the Rock River. The 48-foot (15 m) tall statue, weighing 536,770 pounds (243,470 kg),

448-528: The Black Hawk statue was wrapped with black tarp and ropes while it languished without further restoration. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources , owner of the statue, had no legislated funding for the project and could not proceed. In October 2017, concerned citizens organized as the Black Hawk Restoration committee. Several on the committee were on the original Friends of Black Hawk Group. It

480-513: The Great Lakes , and The Eternal Indian . His 1903 book, The History of American Sculpture, was the first survey of the subject and stood for decades as the standard reference. He has been credited with helping to advance the status of women as sculptors. Taft was the father of U.S. Representative Emily Taft Douglas , father-in-law to her husband, U.S. Senator Paul Douglas , and a distant relative of U.S. President William Howard Taft . Taft

512-615: The Horticultural Building. Burnham responded, "Hire anyone, even white rabbits, if they'll do the work." From that arose a group of talented women sculptors known as "the White Rabbits ", which included Enid Yandell , Carol Brooks MacNeil , Bessie Potter Vonnoh , Janet Scudder , Julia Bracken , and Ellen Rankin Copp . Later, another former student, Frances Loring , noted that Taft used his students' talents to further his own career,

544-603: The Sauk leader Black Hawk , although it is not a likeness of the chief. On November 5, 2009, the Black Hawk Statue was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . The listing may allow the statue access to federal funding for repairs on cracks that naturally appear in its concrete surface. Most recently, the statue restoration was completed and unwrapped in January 2020, costing just under $ 250,000 to restore. The statue

576-465: The State of Illinois passed a capital budget which funded a grant of $ 350,000 to IDNR. It was estimated that further repairs could cost up to $ 660,000. and that the grant to IDNR required matching funds from the public sector. The Black Hawk Restoration Committee agreed to take on the task. As of November 2018, nearly $ 600,000 had been raised, with plans for completing the restoration by August 2019. The statue

608-570: The University of Illinois, and the Art Institute of Chicago. He maintained his connections with his alma mater throughout his life. (His association with the University is commemorated by a street named in his honor.) In 1929, he dedicated his sculpture Alma Mater on the University of Illinois campus. Taft envisioned his Alma Mater as a benign and magnificent woman, about 14 ft (4.3 m) high and dressed in classical draperies, rising from

640-405: The bluff and would stop at the statue's location to enjoy the view. Contemplation became habitual, arms folded, restful and reverent. Black Hawk came from that contemplative mood and attitude. The 48-foot (15 m) tall monolith, towering over the river, suggests an unconquered spirit through its composition blending Fox , Sauk , Sioux and Mohawk cultures. Taft said the statue was inspired by

672-565: The building consisted merely of a brick barn) was designated a National Historic Landmark as Lorado Taft Midway Studios . During his long career, Taft acted as a mentor and teacher for many sculptors, including: Illinois Department of Natural Resources The former Illinois Department of Conservation was reorganized into the Illinois Department of Natural Resources by executive order in 1995. The reorganization, codified into state law by Public Act 89-50, also added functions of

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704-677: The early years of the 20th century. In 1898, Taft was a founding member of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony , which is currently a field and research campus for Northern Illinois University in Oregon, Illinois . Taft designed the Columbus Fountain at Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C. , in collaboration with Daniel Burnham. Taft was a member of the National Academy of Design , the National Institute of Arts and Letters , and

736-689: The former Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals to the agglomerated agency As of 2009, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources was divided up into 16 offices and bureaus In 2017, parts of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, were folded in the IDNR and became the Illinois Historic Preservation Division . As of fiscal year 2006,

768-425: The models, he thought the model by Catherine Backus had points in its favor. Originally the commission favored the model by John K. Daniels but it was voted down. They then selected Backus' model to execute in a nine foot full-size bronze. As Taft grew older, his eloquence and compelling writing led him, along with Frederick Ruckstull , to the forefront of sculpture's conservative ranks, where he often served as

800-528: The standard reference on the subject until the art historian E. Wayne Craven published Sculpture in America in 1968. In 1921, Taft published Modern Tendencies in Sculpture , a compilation of his lectures given at the Art Institute of Chicago. At the time, it offered a distinct perspective on the development of European sculpture; today, the book continues to be regarded as an excellent survey of American sculpture in

832-461: The statue seemed to have grown out of the ground. It stands on the ground that was once home to the Eagle's Nest Art Colony , which Taft founded in 1898. Though not publicized at the time of construction, original funds were exhausted before the completion of the work and future Illinois Governor Frank Lowden had stepped in to ensure that the statue was completed and erected. The statue was planned by Taft and several of his students and associates at

864-521: Was again covered with a protective wrapping. As of December 2019 the restoration was nearly complete. 42°2′03″N 89°19′59″W  /  42.03417°N 89.33306°W  / 42.03417; -89.33306 Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860 – October 30, 1936) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Part of the American Renaissance movement, his monumental pieces include, Fountain of Time , Spirit of

896-639: Was born in Elmwood, Illinois. His parents were Don Carlos Taft and Mary Lucy Foster. His father was a professor of geology at the Illinois Industrial University (later renamed the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign ). He lived much of his childhood at 601 E. John Street, Champaign, Illinois , near the center of the UIUC campus. The house, now known as the Taft House was built by his father in 1873. It

928-606: Was in need of restoration as some of the concrete had worn away. Plans had been made by Friends of the Black Hawk Statue Committee to begin restoration work in Spring 2014. Although delayed, resumed physical integrity tests and restoration restarted in Summer 2015. Efforts to restore the statue had been halted due to a dispute between the project manager and the conservator working on the statue. From June 2016 until June 1, 2018,

960-508: Was outstanding; he was cited as "top man" in his studio and twice exhibited at the Salon . Upon returning to the United States in 1886, Taft settled in Chicago. He taught at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago until 1929. In addition to work in clay and plaster, Taft taught his students marble carving, and had them work on group projects. He also lectured at the University of Chicago and

992-523: Was purchased by the university in 1949 and moved about one mile southeast. After being homeschooled by his parents, Taft earned his bachelor's degree (1879) and master's degree (1880) at Illinois Industrial University. After his master's degree, he left for Paris to study sculpture, attending the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts from 1880 to 1883, where he studied with Augustin Dumont , Jean-Marie Bonnassieux , and Gabriel Thomas . His record there

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1024-535: Was their intention to invite IDNR to speak to the community of Oregon, Illinois, but they declined. Eventually, a meeting was held between the committee and the IDNR staff. It was agreed on March 28, 2018, that IDNR would remove the wrapping and the Black Hawk Restoration Committee would begin fundraising. On June 1, 2018, the wrapping was removed from the statue. On May 10, 2018, the Legislature of

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