Bennett Brien
with eagle sculpture
UMC Homecoming Week Kicks Off with Eagle Sculpture Dedication
University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) Homecoming Week kicks off on Monday, September 15, at 1 p.m., when dedication ceremonies will be held for UMC’s latest art acquisition, a stylized eagle sculpture, on the campus mall near the Peterson Gazebo. The public is welcome to attend the unveiling.
Regional artist Bennett Brien of Belcourt, North Dakota, was commissioned to create the piece for the new student center. While the schedule of construction for the new student center has been postponed until next spring, the commissioned artist continued working and completed his sculpture.
The sculpture, which
stands nearly eleven feet tall, will be on display south of the gazebo
until the student center is completed. UMC students and campus officials
decided that they would display the completed sculpture, rather than store
it, so the entire campus community could enjoy it. The significance of
the piece is enhanced because the UMC mascot is a golden eagle.
Brien’s art reflects his Metis (French and Chippewa-Cree) heritage by incorporating themes of the northern prairie’s flora, fauna, and people. A master of fine arts graduate of the University of North Dakota, Brien works primarily with metal, most often with steel rebar rods. In 2001 his “Soaring Eagle” sculpture was installed near the Chester Fritz Building on the UND campus, and his “North Dakota Bison,” a 1,650-pound iron bison, is on display on the capitol grounds in Bismarck, North Dakota. Many of Brien's other works are located across the region.
For a full schedule of all homecoming events, visit <www.UMCrookston.edu/homecoming>.
Posted 09/12/2003
Contact: Andrew Svec,
218-281-8435