Promise of the Prairie

“Promise of the Prairie” is a part of the Capitol Avenue Bronze public art collection . . donated to the City of Cheyenne by private individuals, organizations or companies. For more information about the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, visit Deselms Fine Art at https://deselmsfineart.com

Promise of the Prairie depicts a pioneer family who have arrived in the American west ready to start their new lives as homesteaders. They are plain folks. The man wears bib overalls and gazes over the land with expectation. His wife is depicted with her hair, dress and apron blowing in the wind. Her expression is one of concern for the future of her family. The barefoot boy, held in his father’s arms, has an impish smile revealing his delight in having just stolen his father’s hat. Seen from the rear, the new settlers are united in an embrace.

The wife and mother depicted in Promise of the Prairie is reminiscent of the main character in the novel My Antonia by Willa Cather. The novel captures the hardships and joys of women who homesteaded in Nebraska, consisting of sod huts, work in the fields, enduring want, and being cut off from ordinary pleasures.

Promise of the Prairie was sculpted by George Lundeen. Lundeen is a native of Holdrege, Nebraska. As a Fulbright-Hayes Scholar, he studied at the Academia de Belle Arte in Florence, Italy.

To learn more about the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, visit this link . For more information about each artist, sponsoring a bronze, or becoming a donor/supporter at any level, please contact Harvey Deselms at Deselms Fine Art, located at 303 E. 17th Street Cheyenne. Email is [email protected] or call at 307 432 0606