Appreciating Artwork

     Sacagawea Award 2004

Beth Sahagian-Allsopp

 

Bronze

 

"The Articles which floated out were nearly all

caught by the Squaw who was in the rear. This

 

accident had likely to have cost us dearly; for in

 

this pirogue were embarked out papers,

 

instruments, books, medicine, a great proportion

 

of merchandise. The Indian woman, to whom I

 

ascribe equal fortitude and resolution with any

 

person on board at the time of the accident,

 

caught and preserved most of the sought articles

 

which, were washed over-board."

 

-Meriwether Lewis

         

 

 

 

 

"I chose to symbolize Sacagawea through both

 

the boat (as in boat launcher) and the bird (as in

 

bird woman) two interpretations of

 

her Lemhi-Shoshone name. Instead of riding on

 

the prow she rides on the edge where she can see

 

all around her. The pirogue like vessel is a

 

Cornucopia spilling its contents. The boat is a

 

metaphor for the womb, the cradle, the feminine

 

vessel of transformation and the protector on the

 

sea of life."

-Beth Sahagian-Allsop

 

          After taking the time to look at all of the artwork, I spent twenty minutes concentrating on the 2004 Award by artist Beth Sahagian-Allsop. At first I studied all of the shapes spilling out of the canoe. There was a shell, an animal’s jaw bone, a cluster of berries, a maple leaf, a turtle, a looking glass or telescope, a star, a crescent moon, an open book, and a bottle among others that I could not distinguish. I realized the lines in the water and the winding rope were highlighting a path for my eye to following and giving the piece movement. Some of the objects were consistent with materials that could have accompanied Sacagawea, Lewis, and Clark on their journey.  Others could have been things they saw in nature during their travels. The sculpture was made of bronze and was unified by brown tones throughout. I wondered what process the artist used to make the sculpture and how tedious the method must have been.

          Then I looked at the work from the Left side and noticed how exquisitely beautiful it was from this angle. I wondered if it was consistent with the golden ratio. I thought about measuring and gridding the sculpture to apply the rule of thirds but soon realize that it was not flat work and that would be difficult and inaccurate. I did not know the formula to make a calculation therefore I quickly gave up on deciding if the golden ratio was used in the sculpture’s construction. I assume it was because of the position of the bird and the aesthetic appeal. This side was simpler than the front with just one bird as the focal point. The bird was perched on the edge of the canoe and had a wave splashing against it just below. The vertical lines of the wave and the diagonal lines of the canoe gave the work balance and a dynamic flow. After taking the time to describe the work in my mind, it began to wander to a thought of where I was. Not just were I was physically, spending an hour of my Friday afternoon on the second floor of a beautiful Rotunda, but where I was in life.

            Before I came to look at the Sacagawea Art Collection at Alverno’s Galleria I spent the morning assisting people who had been victims of disasters through the American Red Cross. A women there was telling me about what she has learned through her years of volunteering with the Red Cross. She told me a story of an interview with a couple and their little son who recently lost everything they owned in a house fire. The father was upset because he had just bought a $200 pair of sneakers. That and other experiences made her realize just how much value people place in expensive material possessions instead of focusing on their primary needs being met. She mentioned that a lot of people use the money given for disaster relief to purchase items that in no way benefit their current needs or future recovery. Standing in the empty second floor of the Sister Joel Read Center, I realized that many people do not have the time to contemplate art or the resources or opportunity to spend time pursuing a higher education. They instead need to focus on solving the problems of poverty and recovering from hardships. Leaving the campus I was filled with a sense of gratitude.