Native American and First Nation Figures in Sculpture

The art of public structure is nearly as old as society itself, and its figurative representations (and gaps) represent deep wells of insight into culture. This book examines sculptors both old and new, and how the work of each one has presented Native Americans and First Nations peoples as figurative subjects found throughout the public sculpture of North America over the past 200 years. Offering thorough examination of artworks by 50 different sculptors throughout the United States and Canada, this book profiles how artists have incorporated either traditional native styles and techniques or European artistic styles and training to create these figurative subjects in wood, stone, marble, bronze, and other materials; to what degree (or not) they utilized indigenous models or figures, photographs of individuals, or other primary sources to create their sculptures; how each sculpture relates to its landscape and display location; and, how each sculptor’s own life relates to the works they have created for public viewing. Both “historical” statuary and public sculpture that has distinctive artistic representation or styles are examined. Also included are oral history interviews, photographs, and first-hand accounts to help better understand all of these artworks. Each of the sculptors profiled here reflects a mixture of gender, ethnicity, and nationality in their identity and backgrounds, as diverse and varied a group as the subjects of their public sculpture.

Fred F. Poyner IV is an independent historian and author with over 30 years of experience in researching and writing about history and art of the Pacific Northwest. He is currently a grant writer for the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe in Washington state, and a regular contributor to The Filson Journal.

Fred F. Poyner IV
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 313
Bibliographic Info: 122 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9271-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5479-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments       ix
Foreword by PḰȺELWEȽTEN Charles W. Bloomfield       1
Introduction       3
Guy J. Bellaver (b. 1944)       7
Blackbear Bosin (1921–1980)       11
J. Shirley Bothum (1937–2003)       13
John J. Boyle (1851–1917)       16
Georgia L. Bunn (b. 1957)       21
Dennis Burt (b. 1952)       25
Alice Cooper (1875–1937)       28
Léonard Crunelle (1872–1944)       33
Gareth Curtiss (b. 1959)       38
Cyrus Edwin Dallin (1861–1944)       45
Jo Davidson (1883–1952)       50
Cliff Fragua (b. 1955)       53
James Earle Fraser (1876–1953)       55
Heinz Gaugel (1927–2000)       62
Jérémie Giles (Henry Jeremiah Giles, 1927–2024)       69
Marlene Hilton Moore (b. 1944)       72
Glenn M. Hines (b. 1950) and Diane T. Hines (b. 1951)       77
Edward E. Hlavka (b. 1964)       82
Johannes (Hans) Holtkamp (1947–2021)       87
Allan Houser (Allan Capron Haozous, 1914–1994)       92
Doug Hyde (b. 1946)       96
Lyle E. Johnson (1954–2022)       101
Dale Claude Lamphere (b. 1947)       104
Alonzo Victor Lewis (1886–1946)       109
William B. Luke (1771–1829)       113
Hamilton MacCarthy (1846–1939)       125
Hermon Atkins MacNeil (1866–1947)       135
David G. Manuel (b. 1939)       145
Dave McGary (1958–2013)       150
Ivan Meštrović (1883–1962)       154
Vala Ola (b. 1962)       159
Qwalsius Shaun Peterson (b. 1975)       166
Jerry L. Prior (b. 1935)       170
Alexander Phimister Proctor (1860–1950)       173
Lavina Ellen (“Vinnie”) Ream (1847–1914) and George Julian Zolnay (1863–1949)       181
Frederic S. Remington (1861–1909)       188
Andrew (“Andy”) R. Schumann (b. 1960)       195
Suzanne Silvercruys (1898–1973)       201
Harry E. Stinson (1898–1975)       206
Lorado Taft (1860–1936) and John G. Prasuhn (1877–1947)       210
Peter Wolf Toth (b. 1947)       215
Benjamin Victor (b. 1979)       220
Toma Villa (b. 1978)       226
James A. Wehn (1882–1973)       230
James A. West (b. 1955)       238
Fritz White (1930–2010)       242
Percy Guy Wood (1860–1904)       247
Bibliography       257
Index       269