Spotlight on Indian Maiden by Proctor Date: January 2018 EI Presenter: Tina Heffernan Year/Medium: 1926 Bronze Artist: Alexander Phimister Proctor (1860-1950) Title of Piece: Indian Maiden and Fawn “I am eternally obsessed with two deep desires-one, to spend as much time as possible in the wilderness, and the other, to accomplish something worthwhile in art.” – A. P. Proctor Five points of interest about this artist: 1. Called himself the “Sculptor in Buckskin”. His most famous works include the horse in General Sherman in Central Park, the Pioneer Mother here at the University of Oregon, and the Seven Mustangs at the University of Texas at Austin. Proctor’s tribute to Theodore Roosevelt, The Rough Rider, was the subject of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s first ever educational film on the work of a sculptor. It resides in Portland. 2. He was a contemporary of Frederic Remington and Charles Russell, but chose to work on a more monumental/life size scale and allow his smaller pieces to be more accessible to everyday people. 3. Proctor was born in Canada and grew up in Colorado where he developed a love for hunting and sketching wild animals. In 1885, he sold a gold claim and with the proceeds went first to New York to attend the National Academy of Design and then on to Paris to continue his studies. His academic training made him as comfortable in international artistic circles as he was hunting grizzlies in the Rocky Mountains. 4. As a hunter he always was careful to measure, draw, and sometimes dissect the animals that he killed. These early studies helped propel him to the position of one of the most sought after and respected animal sculptors of his day. 5. The Indian Maiden sculpture used to be installed outside the museum until it was overturned by vandals in 1980. Her arm was broken off at that time. Possible questions to use when discussing this piece with museum visitors/VTS: 1. Tell me a story about this girl and her animal friend. 2. What is the difference between sculpture and painting? Why do you think an artist would use one or the other? 3. What else do you notice about this piece? Good time to talk about nude vs. naked and nudity in art and museums, how they pour a bronze, the fact that she is life sized… Tour Type: People and Places, Artful Animals, Learning to Look Additional Notes or Sources: proctormuseum.com Centerofthewest.org Alexander Phimister Proctor Indian Maiden and Fawn, 1926 Pioneer Mother, 1918 Seven Mustangs, 1948 Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider, 1922 Horse for General Sherman, 1903 .