Untitled

This statue very recently was placed in the courtyard of St. Paul Academy-Summit School, where I taught in the English Department for 30 years before I retired in 2003. It was donated by one of the school's families, and, because it is so new, there is still no plaque to identify it. Without clear identification, it is still a beautiful piece.

Lovely Lady

I was very surprised to see this lovely statue on a very small front yard of a modest house on a leafy, tree-filled street. The world is full of pleasant surprises if one only looks for them!

Monsignor Terrence J. Murphy

Monsignor Terrence J. Murphy, 1920-2004, served the University of St. Thomas for 50 years, including 25 years as its president. Murphy was the university's chancellor when he died in February of 2004.

Since I've recently posted a number of art objects I found on the St. Paul campus, I think I should tell you a bit more about the school. The following is from the Wiki website:

"The University of Saint Thomas (also known as UST or simply St. Thomas) is a coeducational archdiocesan Roman Catholic institution of higher learning based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1885 as a Catholic seminary, it is named after St. Thomas Aquinas, a medieval Catholic theologian and philosopher who is the patron saint of learners in the Roman Catholic Church. Now a university with four campuses (St. Paul, Minneapolis, Owatonna in Minnesota, and Rome, Italy), it currently enrolls more than 11,000 students, making it Minnesota's largest independent college or university." To learn some fascinating history about this institution, click here.

Our Friend, St. Francis of Assisi

Last Friday I had to take Sadie, our parrot, to the vet because she was obviously ill and had not eaten in four days. Leaving her there to be anesthesized, x-rayed, weighed, and examined, I noted sculptures, statues, and flowers on the lawn. I switched to my blogger mode when I returned to pay a HUGE bill and collect the bird. I'm not sure if she is recovering on schedule, but we have our fingers crossed. To see healthy Sadie, click here.

Nathan Hale in St. Paul !!??

The following information about the statue is taken from the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Art Gallery webpage:

Artist: William Ordway Partridge
Media: Sculpture: Bronze; Base: Mount Airy Granite
Location: Nathan Hale Park, Summit and Portland Avenues

The sculpture depicts Hale, with hands tied behind his back, waiting his appointment with the gallows.

The inscription on the base quotes Hale's famous line, "I only regret having one life to lose for my country."

The Nathan Hale Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution donated the statue in 1907 in memory of the American patriot and hero of the Revolution. The land this statue rests upon was donated in 1882 by M.J. Hannaford, Kenneth Clark, and W.J. Jean.

For another view of this statue go to my ExtraExtra blog.

My Hero!

I'll be back in St. Paul on Thursday, June 28th. In the meantime ENJOY!!

Blog #300!! FScott and Kate

One of my "main men" and me. Notice the little smile on his face?!

"All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath."
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Undated Letter

Artist: Micheal Price
Media: Bronze with warm brown petina on red granite base
Location: Rice Park, 5th and Market Streets

"This sculpture was created in 1996, in honor of the 100th birthday celebration of the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was a Saint Paul resident. Project patron Garrison Keillor said, "'This sculpture was conceived as a figure in the midst of things, a figure you walk up to and talk to. [or hug!] Fitzgerald was not a general, or a statesman, or a mythological creature; he was a writer, and a writer encounters his public one by one, as readers. The magnificence of this piece is in its humanity, and will be more evident close up than from a distance.'" [and I took that suggestion literally]

The sculpture is a gift to the city from The Saint Paul Foundation.(Ref. St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Indian Hunter and His Dog

This Indian lad has always appealed to me. Perhaps one photo would be sufficient, but I decided to indulge myself and post these shots that I took on a rainy day recently.

Artist: Paul Manship
Media: Bronze on metal base inside teal and blue tile circular pool
Location: Cochran Park, Summit and Western Avenues

"This elegant Art Deco style statue was created by the Saint Paul native and internationally acclaimed artist, Paul Manship. The statue was commissioned by the family of Thomas Cochran and originally installed in Cochran Park in 1926. Because of vandalism, it was replicated and the original was removed to Como Park in 1967. In 1994, due to a neighborhood initiative by Alma Joseph and the Ramsey Hill Association, the sculpture was returned to its original location.

Paul Manship studied painting at what is now the Minnesota Museum of American Art. He also studied at the Arts Student League in New York City and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. It is here he worked as an apprentice with Isidore Konti. WIth Konti's support he received a three-year fellowship to the American Academy in Rome. In 1920 he moved his family to Paris and lived there until World War II forced him to move back to the United States. His finest work was done between the wars, culminating in his best known work, the Rockefeller Plaza Prometheus in New York City which looks over the Rockefeller Plaza ice rink." (Parks and Recreation)

The Source

As I surfed around the world looking at all your blogs, I felt somewhat dismayed that St. Paul had so few public monuments and statues, that is, until I really looked! In addition to the wooden carvings from fallen trees, our city has a respectable number of public art monuments and statues that I will continue to share with you.! (Now, all you people from around the world, don't fall all over yourself laughing when you see the dates that I post! We just don't have the ancient history as you do, but we're still interesting!!) Want to see more of The Source? Click here.

"The Source"-Artist: Alonzo Hauser
Media: Bronze
Location: Rice Park, 5th and Market Streets

"This sculpture of a young woman, located in the fountain of Rice Park, was created in 1965 and was donated by the Women's Institute of Saint Paul.

A plaque states:

"'The Women's Institute of Saint Paul dedicates this beautification of Rice Park to the Pioneer Spirit depicting the source of cultural, political, educational and natural resources in our area.'"

The statue symbolizes the city's historical past with the contemporary spirit of the day. (St. Paul Parks and Recreation)"

Yard Man

These wooden statues carved from fallen trees can be found on boulevards and in small neighborhood yards. I saw this one on a quiet block on Ashland Avenue, a place where many homes nearby beautify their plots of land with flowers and statues. A pleasure to see. For more angles of this "yard man" click here to see a collage.

An Angel

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION!I should have researched this before I posted the photo! I just called the church, and I was told that the anchor is the official logo of the church. It is a symbol of HOPE and ties in with the name of the church itself. The anchor and rope, combined with HH (House of Hope) is frequently used with church literature.

This guardian angel rests on the front lawn of House of Hope Presbyterian Church on Summit Avenue, looking after the parishoners and passersby as well.