The intention behind these multi-focal sculptures is to open dialogue of how we can transform ideas/statements/actions through a simple change of one's own perspective. As the viewer approaches the artwork from one side, they see the form of butterflies emerge, from another angle, the word "homeward" becomes clear.

Homeward/Monarch by Joe Norman and the National Sculptors' Guild is 12 ft tall, fabricated in stainless steel and paint. Look for it on the corner of Downey Avenue and 2nd Street, Downey, CA
NSG placement 514

February 20, 2020From #SnowyColorado to #SunnyCalifornia the #NationalSculptorsGuild has loaded up the first two sculptures for the @cityofdowneyca’s #PublicArt program.

The making of Homeward/Monarch September - November 2019

10/5/2019: The National Sculptors' Guild has loaded up NSG Fellow Jane DeDecker’s “Arkansas Nineteenth Amendment Memorial” bronze sculpture with its custom designed granite and stainless-steel base and are headed to Little Rock Arkansas... Fable is supervising the load.

Stay tuned for pics of the installation.

The sculpture celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, Granting Women the Right To Vote
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Jane customized the composition for the Arkansas placement, by including additional historic figures; two of the suffragettes who helped lead the movement in Arkansas. Josephine Miller Brown and Julia Burnell Babcock aka Bernie Babcock

In 1919, Arkansas became the 12th state to approve the 19th Amendment.
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The Arkansas 19th Amendment Memorial will be dedicated October 10th at 11am in the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Plaza at Little Rock's  Riverfront Park
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This 5-ft version (minus the two extra figures) is the #Maquette for DeDecker's Every Word We Utter 20-ft #Monument proposed for placement in DC with bills currently being passed through the various points of #legislature. #BePartOfTheCircle learn more...
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So many more phenomenal women were involved in this movement than depicted here. We honor them all with gratitude for the steps they made for ours and future generations.
#SusanBAnthony #ElizabethCadyStanton #SojournerTruth #HarrietStantonBlatch #AlicePaul #IdaBWells #NotableWomen #WomensRights #Vote #Historic #BraveWomen #FigurativeArt #SuffrageMovement #TheirMovementOurMonument  #ThanksFable #ArtDog #RhodesianRidgeback

Update 11/10/18: The dedication of SALUTE by Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild was powerful and we are so grateful to have been involved in honoring our Veterans with this monument. #WeSaluteYou

Update 11/3/18: ​We had to fly back to Colorado - but SALUTE is on track for completion next week, and Clay will return for the dedication of SALUTE by Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild next Saturday as part of the OrthoIndy Y Veteran's Day Celebrations. 

With all our respect and admiration to Veteran's everywhere, We Salute You!

Update 10/30/18: Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild are in Indianapolis all week to install and finish "Salute" at the OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA at Pike

Lots happened on-site for this project - the cast aluminum is attached to the wall, then foam is added to complete the figures, Clay sculpts this foam then stucco is smoothed over all but the aluminum to harmonize the sculpture and wall of the monument. Stainless Steel plaques will then be attached to the wall to house the dog tags honoring Veteran's. (Veterans’ names will be added to the sculpture with a donation of $100 at YLovesVets.org) Special thanks to all our subs, certainly a team effort on this one. 

Update 10/23/18: The aluminum castings are being chased in Loveland, CO this week, Clay is up from Colorado Springs to finish strong. We load the truck Friday.

Update 9/14/18: We just got news from Indianapolis that the walls are poured! It's coming together now.

Update 8/8/18: Clay has been hard at work sculpting the final portraits representing the five branches. two will be sculpted in the wax stage prior to casting. The objective was to create racially ambiguous male and female portraits for optimum inclusiveness of all service men and women. 

Update 7/12/18: Lots of schematics over the past year for this complex project since half will be sculpted on site involving multiple subcontractors. All of whom have been great to work with. 

Update 5/14/18: The figure portion with sculpted saluting arm has been completed, ready to mold and cast.

Update 9/18/17: Several months of designing and redesigning; working with the committee to establish several key elements including scale, depicting men/women which branch is placed where. The NSG and OrthoIndy have done our best to make this a monument every Veteran may be proud of.

“The sculpture will appeal to people of all walks of life and every generation,” said Aasif Bade, chair for the Pike Capital Campaign to build the new YMCA. “Salute will be a great place to gather and pay tribute to our veterans.”

7/5/17: We are honored to be selected for this project. Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild will be installing "Salute" at the OrthoIndy Y next year. Follow this post for updates as the project develops.

Designed with a universal approach and appeal it is our intention that people of all walks of life and every generation will be able to step into the art statement and bring their story to the piece. Whether they be a veteran and feel the strength of the collective salute, or they know a veteran and can show their reverence and gratitude for those who have served.

The design complements the architecture for continuity. Two serpentine walls fill the site forming an open ellipse. The walls graduate in height toward the center. At these highest points the silhouette of figures crest the wall drawing attention to the center area where the plaques honoring veterans are discovered next to five saluting figures. The shape of the walls creates an intimate, protected space for individuals or small groups to gather and pay tribute with quiet contemplation.

Emerging from the inner curve are five figures, each rising stoically in the line, bringing solidity and strength to the wall. Employing the figure as a stylized architectural element allows it to have universal appeal and convey strong emotion without extraneous detail.

The figures stand shoulder to shoulder, saluting each other to demonstrate the strength and camaraderie of all Veterans of the Armed Forces. Each branch is defined through the uniquely sculpted hat, depicting the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. We wish to work with the committee to best select the most distinctive hat for each branch so that it is an immediate and relatable image. A simple distinguishing insignia or patch may be included for further clarity. To the right of the figures are plaques engraved with the names of the Veteran's honored by the OrthoIndy Foundation.

The choice of materials has structural purpose, as well as symbolic significance, to emphasize the overall message of honoring Veteran’s services and the YMCA’s mission to help soldiers adjust to re-entering civilian life. This mission is emphasized in the change in material within the figure, from cast aluminum to modeled stucco symbolizing a veteran’s transition from service to civilian life while acknowledging that the uniform will indefinitely be a part of their life. 

​Aluminum has been a significant metal utilized within the military since WWII when the use of America’s supply of bauxite for metal production soared for aircraft frames, ship infrastructure, radar chaff and millions of mess kits. The saluting arm side of the uniform and head will be cast in aluminum. The rest of the figure emerges from an earthy material (sand being the primary makeup of stucco) to show that all service men and women are connected to the soil they protect.

Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild ​

 National Sculptors' Guild director John Kinkade was hands on during Monday's installation of Jane DeDecker's "Early Explorers" at McEuen Park in Coeur d'Alene.  Landscaping will complete the site and this will be among the first sculptures placed in the new McEuen Park. We can't wait to see the piece in spring with complete landscape. ‪#‎PublicArt‬ ‪#‎Installation‬ #Idaho

Shown here are snapshots of the installation of the multifaceted sandstone and fabricated metal sculpture.

National Sculptors' Guild ​Installation of Jane DeDecker's  "On the Count of Three" at St. Mary's Hospital, Grand Junction, CO

Dawn and Dusk commissioned bronze with steel base sculptures for the Tamarac, Florida Community Center ©2009, Jane DeDecker, National Sculptors' Guild all rights reserved