Strength of the Maker at Benson Sculpture Garden

Denny Haskew's Strength of the Maker being installed in Benson Sculpture Garden this morning

Earlier this year, the High Plains Arts Council selected sculptures to donate to the City of Loveland's Public Art program.  HPAC hosts the annual "Sculpture in the Park" show, using proceeds help fund sculpture additions, landscaping and other improvements for the Benson Sculpture Garden. They will be celebrating the 40th Sculpture in the Park Show and Sale this August. Among this year's contribution is NSG Fellow, Denny Haskew's 'Strength of the Maker'.

“'Strength of the Maker' right from its title to the strength shown even in the toes is a statement of how I view my very inner belief. Nature and all things natural have always been of the utmost importance to me all my life. Believing in a God, the Great Spirit, Buddha, Mohammed, the Mysterious One, and other beings of greatness is important. I feel they all exude the same message: a life of oneness, love, honesty, and a source of emotional strength. 'Strength of the Maker' is my visual version of how I see my Maker.” -Denny Haskew
 
Denny Haskew, a member of the Potawatomi Citizen Nation, is known for creating art that reflects Native American and Southwestern culture. His work has been described as intensely personal and honest, reflecting recurring themes of spirit, love, forgiveness, healing, endurance, and strength.

Recalling visiting the inaugural Sculpture in the Park Show and Sale in 1984, Denny shares, “My mom knew that I was messing around with wood carving and stuff, and so I came, and I saw sculpture for the first time with that show,” he said. “It was a lightbulb going off in your head. This is what I should do, and I stayed. I never went back.”  Undeterred by his lack of formal training, Haskew dedicated a year to apprenticeship. His determination paid off when he entered five pieces in the next Sculpture in the Park Show and Sale, using the earnings to expand his portfolio further. 

As a charter member of the National Sculptors' Guild, an artist driven organization and specialists in public art placements, Denny has successfully installed 50 monumental sculptures facilitated by the Guild since 1992.

Denny has gone on to win numerous awards for his sculptures, 'Strength of the Maker' is among his most successful compositions, winner of 5 'Best of Show' Awards; other prominent placements of the edition include: National Museum of the American Indian - Smithsonian Institution in DC; the Gilcrease Museum, OK; the Barona Band of Mission Indians, CA; and the Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum, Bastian, VA; Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX; District Courthouse, Flagstaff, AZ; City of Grand Junction, CO; Canyon City, CO; and private collections throughout the US. 

The installation of his final casting of “Strength of the Maker” in Benson Sculpture Garden honors the roots of a successful art career, and a life of oneness, love, honesty, and emotional strength.