Sheldon Museum of Art’s collection dots campus with outdoor sculptures, scenic additions to a summer stroll. Here is some history of just a few of the sculptures and the people who created them.
Granite Hi-Chair
Jesus Moroles, the sculptor of Granite Hi-Chair, was known for his use of a unique technique called “tearing” granite. This process entails drilling holes into the granite, inserting a wedge and applying pressure to it to “tear” the granite. Moroles died in a car accident in 2015, after which the arts school he attended in his youth in Dallas was renamed in his honor.
Floating Figure
This bronze by Gaston Lachaise floats above the outdoor sculpture garden between Sheldon Art Museum and Westbrook Music Building. Lachaise created several sculptures of the female form in his career, which were supposedly inspired by his wife, Isabel. The French-born Lachaise actually came to the United States to pursue Isabel.
Untitled
Ceramicist Jun Kaneko was raised in Japan but has been based in Omaha for more than 35 years. In his recent works, Kaneko has constructed more than 70 public art installations around the world, as close as Omaha and as far as his native Japan. Kaneko has also designed for three touring opera productions.
SANDY: In Defined Space
This bronze, which shows a female figure sitting inside a box, was on loan to Sheldon Museum of Art, but Husker students raised money to add the sculpture to the museum’s permanent collection. In many of his pieces, sculptor Richard McDermott Miller created wax or clay molds of live models and then cast them in bronze.
Birth of Venus
This sculpture by Reuben Nakian is inspired by the sea foam of Venus’ legendary birth by emerging from the ocean on a clamshell. Nakian created many sculptures influenced by Greek and Roman mythology. Prior to that, he depicted other figures considered heroic in American history, including Babe Ruth and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Balanced/Unbalanced Wheels #2
A 40-foot painted steel by Fletcher Benton, located in the greenspace south of Manter Hal, uses colorful geometric shapes to depict a figure reminiscent of a moving bicycle. Benton originally became world renowned for his work in kinetic sculpture, but then moved into large scale Minimalist sculpture, like Balanced/Unbalanced Wheels #2.
Old Glory
Old Glory is an iconic campus landmark. It is typical of much of artist Mark di Suvero’s large-scale constructions using I-beams. Following an accident in which di Suvero was severely injured and confined to a wheelchair for a time, he worked in small scale sculpture before returning to the signature giant stature of works like Old Glory.
Greenpoint
Another campus icon, Greenpoint by Richard Serra, is known for its tilted juxtaposition with Mueller Tower. the artist himself selected the site to encourage pedestrians to walk through and interact with the sculpture. Greenpoint is named for the neighborhood in Brooklyn where Serra worked and is held in place by steel girders buried 20 feet into the ground. Serra died in March 2024.
