Benjamin Victor (sculptor)
| Benjamin Victor | |
|---|---|
| Born |
16 January 1979 Bakersfield, California, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Northern State University |
| Known for | Sculpture |
| Website |
benjaminvictor |
Benjamin Matthew Victor (January 16, 1979 in Taft, CA) is an American sculptor and Artist-in-Residence and Professor of the Practice at Boise State University.[1] He is also the only living artist to have two works in the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capital.[2] He was only 26 years old when his first statue, Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute activist in Nevada, was dedicated in the Hall in 2005, making him the youngest artist to ever be represented in the Hall.[3][4] Less than 10 years later, his sculpture of Norman Borlaug, "the father of the Green Revolution," was dedicated in the Hall[5] in 2014, making him the only living artist to have two works in the Hall. In 2010, Benjamin Victor completed the Taft Monument to Oilworkers, which is currently the largest bronze sculpture in California.[6]
Early life
Benjamin Matthew Victor was born in 1979 in Taft, California. He grew up in Bakersfield. After completing high school, he lived in for a time in Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, studying art and sculpture.[3][7]
Career
Victor’s first work to receive attention was a life-size statue of the biblical character Samson, sculpted when the artist was a sophomore art major at Northern State University. The piece earned Victor a scholarship "in recognition of his aesthetic and conceptual integrity" from the prestigious National Sculpture Society in New York City. At age 23, Victor was commissioned to produce his proposal of a trio of soldiers for the Aberdeen Regional Airport War Memorial in South Dakota.
Victor has completed numerous commissions from city, institutions and non-profits for public art works throughout the West and upper Midwest, often to commemorate individuals or groups. He was commissioned by the state of Nevada to make sculptures of Sarah Winnemucca, a 19th-century Paiute activist, one for installation in 2005 at its capital and one to be installed as one of Nevada's official works in the United States Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. At age 26, Victor was the youngest sculptor to have a work installed at the hall.
Notable works
- Aberdeen Monument to Firefighters, Aberdeen Fire Department, Station #1, Aberdeen, South Dakota
- Aberdeen War Memorial, Aberdeen Regional Airport, Aberdeen, South Dakota
- Answering the Call, Tempe Beach Park, Tempe, Arizona
- Belle Babb Mansfield, monument to the First Female Attorney, Iowa Wesleyan College, Iowa[8]
- Bob Hoover, Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington, DC[9]
- Cecil Harris, Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota[10]
- Chief Standing Bear, Centennial Mall, Lincoln, Nebraska[11]
- Coach Jim Valvano, North Carolina State Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina[12]
- Coach Everett Case, North Carolina State Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina[13]
- Community, Wells Avenue, Reno, Nevada[14]
- Delilah, Avenue of the Arts, Gillette, Wyoming
- Dr. Norman E Borlaug, National Statuary Hall, Washington, DC[5]
- Falls Past and Falls Today, Gateway to the Falls, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Gretchen Fraser, Olympic Women's Monument, Sun Valley, Idaho
- Independence, S. Wells Avenue and Roberts Street, Reno, Nevada
- Kansas State Monument to Firefighters, Kansas State Capitol Building, Topeka, Kansas
- Lyle Smith, Albertsons Stadium, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho[15]
- Make a Wish Boy and Girl, Make a Wish Building, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Monument to 1st Battalion 1st Marines, Castaways Park, Newport Beach, California[16][17]
- Monument to Firefighters, Fire Station #5, Lawrence, Kansas
- Monument to WWII Airmen, Boise Airport, Boise, Idaho[18]
- Portrait of Terry Redlin, Redlin Art Center, Redlin, South Dakota[19]
- ReTrac Corridor Sculpture Project, ReTrac Corridor, Reno, Nevada
- Robert the Bruce, Private Collection, Linlithgow, Scotland
- Samson, Atlanta, Georgia
- Samson the Mighty, Avenue of the Arts, Gillette, Wyoming
- Sarah Winnemucca, U.S. National Statuary Hall, Washington, D.C. and Nevada State Capitol Building, Carson City, Nevada
- Senator Richard Bryan, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
- Sequoyah, Private Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Taft Oilworker Monument, Taft, CA[20]
- The Seasons, United Clinic, Aberdeen, South Dakota
- War Memorial Sculpture, Aberdeen Regional Airport, South Dakota
- Where Cultures Meet, California State University - Dominguez Hills, Carson, California
References
- ↑ "NSU Employee Directory". Northern State University. Archived from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ "Benjamin Victor Biography". Benjamin Victor, Professor of the Practice. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
- 1 2 "Oilworkers Monument Groundbreaking". The Taft Independent. 2009-04-03. Archived from the original on 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ "Reid Speech at Sarah Winnemucca Statue Dedication". Democrats.senate.gov. 2005-05-09. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- 1 2 "Dr. Norman E. Borlaug". Architect of the Capitol | United States Capitol. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
- ↑ jcox@bakersfield.com, JOHN COX, Californian staff writer. "New monument honors Taft oil workers". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
- ↑ "Winnemucca sculptor selected". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2004-02-10. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ "Belle Babb Mansfield Dedication". Heartland Connection. 2008-04-25. Archived from the original on 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ "Hoover statue to be unveiled at Smithsonian". aopa.org. 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
- ↑ "Cecil Harris". Northern State University. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
- ↑ Wells, Aaliyah. "New statue in Centennial Mall honors Chief Standing Bear". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ↑ "N.C. State University to unveil Jim Valvano statue at Reynolds Coliseum gala - Triangle Business Journal". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ↑ "In This Corner | NC State News | NC State University". 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ↑ "Wells-to-do". Reno News and Reviews. 2006-01-26. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ "Boise State unveils statue of Lyle Smith; Dhaenens glad to increase production". idahostatesman. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ↑ "Statue honoring Marine Battalion Unveiled in Newport". The Orange County Register. 2007-09-09. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ "Tribute To Be Semper Fi". Newport Beach Daily Pilot. 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ "New Statue At Boise Airport". Fox News Idaho. 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ "Sculpture Unveiled on August 4, 2007". Redlin Art Center. 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ↑ Curt Elliott (1969-12-31), Oilworker Monument in Taft CA, retrieved 2017-06-12