update 5/20/22: The bust and plaques have been cast in bronze and shipped to Little Rock. We will update with photos once the city has installed the memorial. 

10/15/21: National Sculptors' Guild Fellow Jane DeDecker has been selected to sculpt Daisy Bates for placement in the City of Little Rock, Arkansas. The honor to portray such an important figure is a true highlight. 

The life-sized bronze bust will be accompanied by a wall of bronze plaques featuring quotations by the great Civil Rights Activist.

​The public display of her image and words will serve well to inspire next generations to take her lead to end racial injustice.

​"I have been truly inspired and deeply moved by the strength and dedication of Daisy Lee Gatson Bates. She turned tragedy into her life's work in fighting against prejudice, segregation, and inequality. Daisy Lee Gatson Bates was a formidable woman who would not stand down." - Jane DeDecker, NSG

The commemorative placement will be completed in 2022. Updates will be posted here.

​Daisy Lee Gatson Bates
Mentor to the Little Rock Nine
Advocate for Equality

Community by Clay Enoch and the National Sculptor's Guild was placed in Little Rock, AR December 2019.

Community creates a welcoming space and impression which reflects my experiences here.

Many stages and aspects of life are represented in "Community"; baby and family, sports and nutrition,
reaching out and education; all lending to portraying playfulness, warmth, hospitality, and love. These are the building blocks for a thriving community and are all present in Little Rock.

NSG Public Art Placement #512

"Lion Pride" by Darrell Davis and the National Sculptors' Guild  is installed at the roundabout as you enter the Little Rock Zoo. NSG Director John Kinkade made multiple trips to Little Rock to pick out the natural stone that is strategically placed to create the levels needed to match the artist's initial composition. The cast aluminum really sets off against the warm colors in the stone. And the strong glance of the lions is intense. We love how it turned out and hope you can make a trip to see in person. #PublicArt NSG-505

Update 11/1/18: ​Yes, that’s a lioness in the gallery!
​
We have National Sculptors' Guild Fellow Darrell Davis’ monumental sculpture here temporarily as we wait for the site and the other two pieces to be cast. We didn’t have a stone to anchor her on in the NSG sculpture garden, so, here she is visiting Columbine Gallery

Part of our public art projects, Davis’ “Lion Pride” will be installed in the roundabout as you enter the Little Rock Zoo soon. We love this first lion. She’s a big beauty!

Update 10/5/18: The first lioness is in metal... she's looking great!

Update 1/15/18: Progress image of the enlargement of Darrell Davis' life-size Lion Pride

Here is a video we just ran across by a student digesting and discussing NSG Fellow Jane DeDecker’s Harriet Tubman sculpture that we placed inLittle Rock in 2004, part of a series of sculptures that lead to the Clinton Presidential Center see more about our installation 
​
Our sculpture placements continue to move and educate people. #PublicArt #FeedYourCreativeSpirit

April 24, 2018 Update: It's happening now.... NSG's Stephen Shachtman's "Arkansas A" is being installed at it’s new home by the Southwest Community Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Thanks to the City of Little Rock for the installation help, and Sculpture at the River Market for the placement.

At the heart of the three forms is a sphere representing the community. The #Steel/#Bronze portion of the “A” represents #Arkansas while the pieces of the #sandstone sphere make up its people. 

April 21, 2018 Update: NSG's Stephen Shachtman’s #ArkansasA is loaded up and heading to it’s new home in Little Rock, Arkansas. Stay tuned for pics of the installation next week.

10/25/17 Update: Fabrication is nearing completion. We will be heading to Little Rock for installation soon.

09/22/2017 UPDATE: Honored to have seven of the Little Rock Nine at the Unveiling and Dedication of United by Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild at Central High School, Little Rock, AR.

09/21/2017 UPDATE: We are in Little Rock for the installation of United by Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild The 10-foot bronze commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the integration of Central High.

Clay states about the sculpture... “I wanted to try to shift the focus from the historical to the contemporary. There has been so much progress made. I wanted to create something that showed the strides that have been made — something hopeful and uplifting.” 

The design features allegorical figures with raised arms working to interlock their respective rings in the effort to be "UNITED". Incomplete rings indicate that there is still progress to be made. A secondary narrative built on the surface of each figure demonstrates that both sides have a foundation of ideals spanning generations that must be transformed into building blocks toward something greater

The dedication for this important monument is Friday September 22nd at Central High School where additional commemorations are happening this month to recognize the 60th anniversary of the integration of Central High. click for more info

09/15/17 UPDATE: United by Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild was loaded onto the truck this morning and is on its way to Little Rock. The 10-foot bronze will be installed next week. The dedication for this important monument is Friday September 22nd at Central High School.

Art celebrates post-integration progress
Story published monday in LR demgazette...... By Jeannie Roberts Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
This article was published April 25, 2016 at 5:45 a.m.

PHOTO BY ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE / MITCHELL PE MASILUN

Little Rock contest’s winner to sculpt piece marking 60 years since Central High crisis
Shifting the focus from the historical scar on Little Rock to the strides that have been made in the nearly 60 years since Central High School was integrated was the goal of this year’s winner of the 2016 Sculpture at the River Market competition.
National Sculptors' Guild fellow Clay Enoch of Colorado Springs, Colo., was named Sunday as the recipient of a public art commission for his proposed piece called United. The sculpture, which will be 10 feet, 2 inches tall and 6 feet wide, will be installed in 2017 on the grounds of Central High School to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the desegregation crisis. The state gained national attention when on Sept. 4, 1957, nine black students attempted to enter the high school but were turned away by the Arkansas National Guard and an angry mob. On Sept. 25, 1957, U.S. Army troops, under orders from President Dwight Eisenhower, escorted the “Little Rock Nine” through the mobs and into the high school, officially ending segregation for the state. Enoch’s piece, which he will compose from silicon bronze and structural stainless steel, depicts two figures working together to connect two circles. “The thing that struck me is the history is kind of ugly,” Enoch said. “I wanted to try to shift the focus from the historical to the contemporary. There has just been so much progress made. I wanted to create something that showed the strides that have been made — something hopeful and uplifting.” 

Enoch and two other finalists — Kathleen Caricof and Denny Haskew, both of Colorado — were selected from 28 submissions. “This is cliche, but you’d like to be able to give all three of them the commission to do all three pieces because they were all three superb in every way,” said Dean Kumpuris, the founder of Sculpture at the River Market and a member of the Little Rock Board of Directors. Little Rock Central Principal Nancy Rousseau said she was thrilled about the commissioned piece and is eager to have it installed. “There were so many good pieces,” she said. “They’re all timeless. All had great concepts.”
Joseph Wright, a Central High senior, said the many sculptures to commemorate the desegregation crisis were inspiring to him not only as a black student at the school, but also as an aspiring artist. “The name United and the sculpture is very fitting,” Wright said. “I’ve taken an art class at Central every year. Sculpting is a passion of mine.”

Artist Longhua Xu of Hot Springs said the subject of the competition was especially meaningful to him as a 1989 immigrant from Shanghai. His piece Freedom commemorates the Central High School integration with a clay, three-sided sculpture of three representative students. One is a girl with a book held in the air, balanced on the tips of her fingers like a bird to illustrate the heights to which an education can take her. Another is a black male student with a backpack and the word “Explore” chiseled behind him. The third is a female Chinese student with a pen and notebook in her hand with the word “Express” embossed behind her. The last is representative of Xu’s daughter, Ann Xu, a 2010 graduate of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in Hot Springs whom Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed to the school’s Board of Visitors last year. “As an Asian-American, I had to teach her that she needs to speak up, to have her voice heard,” Longhua Xu said. “She wanted to be class president but said that you had to be popular, smart and white to get the spot. I told her to speak up. She became student body president. Now she’s in medical school at Baylor.”

More than 800 sculptures from 48 juried artists from around the nation were displayed at the RiverMarket pavilions during the two-day show. It was the ninth show organized by the Sculpture at the River Market committee, which commissions artwork and then donates it to the city to be placed in various locations around Little Rock. Last year’s winner, Michael Warrick’s Mockingbird Tree, was installed last week at the northwest corner of Chenal Parkway and Chenal Valley Drive.

Update 8/28/2018: Our bronze Hippo #RoundBottomusHippopotamus by NSG Fellow Tim Cherry has found its new home in Riverfront Park. Thanks Sculpture at the River Market and the City of Little Rock, AR #PublicArt #Bronze #Sculpture #Hippo #Bench #RiverfrontPark#LIttleRock #Art This is the National Sculptors' Guild's 499th monumental Public Art Placement!

Update 08/23/2018: Our Hippo friend Roundbottomus Hippopotamus #bronze by Tim Cherry took a snooze under #BlueNorth in the National Sculptors' Guild #sculpturegarden after a busy summer greeting people and enjoying the great amenities at Embassy Suites by Hilton Loveland Hotel Conference Center & Spa. She’s now ready for a drive to her new home in #LittleRock thanks to Sculpture at the River Market
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You can see we are delivering some Little (big) Rocks to Little Rock too and our #zen tea master #Sculpture Afternoon Sun by Dee Clements is joining them. Plus a few paintings. Thanks for loving Art Little Rock, Arkansas!
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#RoadTrip #SculptureDelivery #MonumentalSculpture #PublicArt#FeedYourCreativeSpirit #LiveWithArt #NSG #Installation #HippoLove #TimCherry

Update 12/07/2017: Tim Cherry has finished Roundbottomus Hippopotamus in a beautiful Pat Kipper patina. The first in the edition was commissioned through the National Sculptors' Guild for the City of Little Rock, Arkansas and will be installed in the spring once the site is ready. The sculpture is designed to be played on and around, placed directly on the ground, bands of different colors of concrete will surround the bronze to give the sense of rings of water. The donor has named her "Annaba" after the modern city built over the ruins of Hippo Regius in Algeria, Africa where their father spent time in the 1940s.
Want one of your own? click here

Update 07/11/2017: Tim Cherry has been sculpting the Hippo that will head to Little Rock. The finished clay is shown here.

7/26/2016   #WIP coming soon.... The National Sculptors' Guild is working on a fun placement with Tim Cherry. A Hippo Bench for Little Rock, AR. The bronze sculpture will depict a hippo appearing to be wading in water - in a shape and size that invites interaction - seating and playing on/around. Measuring approximately 6x3ft.

Stay tuned for images as we progress.

The Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden is expanding to showcase additional artwork acquired through proceeds from the Sculpture at the River Market Exhibit. Quickly outgrown, the additional space will allow for more than a dozen sculpture placements. To start, NSG has placed Jane DeDecker's Shortcuts, Lil' Sis; Leo Osborne's Of Grace, a Dan Ostermiller bear - Le Grand Pere; and Big Bill by Tim Cotterill (the Frogman)
Click here to see more of the garden and artwork
​
The sculpture garden features natural terraces and walkways designed by City of Little Rock's Leland Couch, Mark Webre & National Sculptors' Guild's John Kinkade. The design creates a more intimate space to view smaller works within the Riverfront Park and is ideal for hosting receptions, as well as, allowing visitors to enjoy the sculptures in solitude. The sculpture garden is located northeast of The Marriott in Riverfront Park and is just one stop of many public art placements along the Arkansas river to enjoy artist's sculptures from across the nation. ‪#‎SculptureGarden‬ ‪#‎ArkansasArt‬ ‪#‎RiverfrontPark

When Dean Kumpuris asked John Kinkade and the National Sculptors' Guild to establish an outdoor sculpture show for Little Rock ten years ago; we didn't anticipate how much fun we'd have in the process. For a weekend every year downtown Little Rock has become home for the Guild, we've found the people embrace us as much as they do the Arts, and show this appreciation in a huge way at Sculpture at the River Market. So much so, that we have artists that don't typically do the show circuit make an exception for this top notch show. John continues to serve as the show's consultant.

Since our first Little Rock placements in 2004 for the pedestrian entry to the Clinton Center, the Guild has placed over 30 monuments and numerous smaller works with the City of Little Rock. These public art placements are made possible with private funds and proceeds from the Sculpture at the River Market show. The enthusiasm the city has for the Arts is palpable and we hope it spreads to other communities. ​

We have 4 of the 7 finalists in this year's public art competition for the city. Vote for your favorite at the preview party April 21st..., click here to purchase tickets. Or visit the River Market Saturday and Sunday to see whose proposal won. ​

01/11/2017: The Vogel family has commissioned National Sculptors' Guild Fellow Jane DeDecker to sculpt grandchildren to be placed in the Vogel-Schwartz Sculpture Garden in Little Rock, Arkansas. To be placed later this year.

Click here for an update

12/13/16 update: While the National Sculptors' Guild was in Little Rock this week, we installed some of the final donor blocks on the ​ROTARY CLUB 99 Centennial Plaza. The design is based on the Rotary Wheel emblem and it's symbolism. Designed by NSG's John Kinkade ​and Mark Leichliter National Sculptors' Guild
based upon the Rotary Wheel emblem. ​ [read below to learn more about the concept]

7/19/16:
​ROTARY CLUB 99 
Centennial Plaza
Little Rock, AR 
Designed by 
John Kinkade
​and Mark Leichliter
National Sculptors' Guild
based upon the Rotary Wheel emblem.

The Rotary Wheel emblem symbolizes work and involvement. The worldwide Rotary movement has real significance and tremendous potential. It has impressive statistics as to numbers of members, clubs, districts, and countries, international projects and contacts.
 
Beginning with the Rotary Wheel’s perimeter, there are 24 teeth. These could be seen as the clubs, each prepared and willing to engage with other clubs or organizations around the world, with the purpose of doing good. The 24 teeth also point outwards to the many directional activities of Rotary through its wide variety of international programs. 

​The solid blue and gold band, which supports the teeth, provides the strength which is needed to transmit power and hold the Rotary movement as one. It carries the inscription "Rotary International" and has four segments which represent the four avenues of  service. The six spokes bind together the hub and the rim. They represent the Districts, moving the power from its source to the working elements - the teeth, representing the clubs. The six spokes divided by the twenty four teeth is a mathematical reference to the Four Way Test. 

The central hub ensures that the whole gear runs true to its purpose: the power and the energy created when people of like mind and are committed to releasing this energy; "Service above Self".

Curved concrete retaining walls measuring slightly over 4 feet tall will diminish in height and eventually be even with the surface grade. These walls will be stained or painted black and will have vines growing over them to soften their edges. The Plaza will feature eleven monolithic blocks lining the curved retaining wall to the northwest.  These stone blocks refer to the Teeth of the Rotary Wheel emblem. Made of Georgia Medium Grey Granite, which is a lighter grey color, these stone blocks will be more reflective in nature and less somber than black granite. 

Nine of the eleven blocks will be etched with 20 to 25 names each, serving as Name Recognition Blocks. The block at the entry will be engraved with the name of the Plaza as well as the Rotary Wheel emblem. The block at the other end of the curved retaining wall will have an explanation of the park and could contain the “updatable” signage and QR code.

All blocks will measure 4 feet tall, 33 inches wide and 24 inches deep.
Stone benches will be placed along the other, more gently-curved retaining wall. The Georgia Medium Grey Granite benches will measure 16 inches tall, 60 inches long and 16 inches deep. The seats and legs will be made of same material in a post and lintel 
construction. 

Each bench will be etched with one of the Four Way Test phrases: 
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The surface of the Plaza is yet to be determined, but possible solutions include poured concrete or 
decomposed granite gravel. The Rotary Wheel will be portrayed through spoke designs and could consist of 12” wide granite embedded into the Plaza’s surface or may just be lines scored into the concrete, depending upon cost.
The widest part of the plaza has a 48 foot diameter. At this scale, the Plaza is not so expansive that a small gathering of people feels exposed and yet, it is big enough that it can comfortably handle a larger group of visitors.  

We suggest using landscape materials that will honor the blue and gold colors of Rotary as shown in the 
ornamental shrubs and grasses. Shade trees will 
effectively cool the area in the summer months of July and August. 

Ivy on the walls will give the plaza a softer atmosphere and set off the benches and Name Recognition Blocks. We also recommend a low ornamental hedge, such as holly, between the retaining wall and the sidewalk to prevent people from jumping over the wall. 

The central Rotary Wheel element is to be made entirely of brushed stainless steel. It will be oriented to read from the sidewalk and placed where its shadow will cast prominently on the plaza. In this way, it becomes an iconic signage element defining the Rotary Plaza while also being an eye-catching landmark and photo opportunity. 

This visual landmark will measure nearly 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide. At this scale, the iconic element will be instantly noticeable, yet not over-bearing within the Plaza site.

The shadows shown in these design drawings reflect the true sun/shadow surfaces for Little Rock, Arkansas. The shadows cast off of the central landmark element give a sundial effect.   

The overall design of the Plaza positions the benches in more shaded areas of the site, whereas the Name Recognition Blocks are placed to remain predominantly in the sun.

Installation day 12/12/16
The National Sculptors' Guild is in Little Rock to install Fellow Kathleen Caricof's "Let the Music Play" in front of the newly renovated Robinson Music Hall. 

The 16ft high multi-faceted sculpture is fabricated from several materials including stone, copper, and steel.

The artist selected the upright bass for its wide use in a variety of music, from jazz to rock as well as bluegrass and folk. The whimsical design has a cubist, feel and will appeal to the area’s many visitors.

4/27/16: The National Sculptors' Guild has in the works a design by Kathleen Caricof for the Robinson Performance Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

The 16ft high multi-faceted sculpture is fabricated from several materials including multiple stones, copper, steel and wood.

The abstracted upright bass was selected for its wide use in a variety of music, from jazz to rock as well as bluegrass and folk. The whimsical design has a cubist, “Picasso-esque” feel and will appeal to the area’s many visitors. 

We've just finished installing two more Tim Cherry bronze sculptures at the Arkansas Children's Hospital. Tim's Whole Hog and Bear Ball join over two dozen sculptures by National Sculptors' Guild members Mark Leichliter, Jane DeDecker, Clay Enoch, Herb Mignery, Don Rambadt and more by Tim Cherry.
​
Our primary goal with the art placements in the outdoor courtyard was to enhance the area with whimsical sculptures inspired by native wildlife. We hope discovering all of the artwork we placed here lifts the spirits of patients and families.

Special thanks to Bronze Services Fine Art Foundry, and Shippers' Supply Custom Pack

7/27/16 Scheduled for placement in Little Rock, Arkansas this Fall is the monumental "IN THE WINGS" by JANE DEDECKER and ALYSON KINKADE, NATIONAL SCULPTORS' GUILD

Depicting abstract-figurative dancers preparing for performance. The intentionally elongated limbs on the dancers emphasize their stretch. The heads and limbs of the dancers will be sculpted in the round, and cast in bronze while their tutus are cast in aluminum to create a bold, zig-zagged crescent shape. The tutu will be painted with vibrant hues. The paint will be a rich layering of colors for added depth.

With a total height of 7ft and extending 10ft wide toe to toe, the sculpture will have a powerful yet graceful presence. The combination of figurative elements with abstract; the earthy tones with vibrant ones; creates a piece that has universal appeal. 

A study and garden size is available for separate purchase in a limited editions, each uniquely painted. ​​

Update 10/11/2016:
NSG Director John Kinkade and Sculptor Mark Leichliter are in Arkansas installing "Overcome" today.

Our latest installation trip in Little Rock includes Mark Leichliter's Mockingbird Mandala this morning at the Arkansas Children's Hospital. The artwork serves as a sun shade measuring 8ft in diameter by 12ft high. Mark designed the structure to be constructed on site out of lightweight material, the mandala is fabricated from aluminum powdercoated a vibrant red, with stainless steel supports that anchor to the courtyard. Two more mandalas, yellow and blue, will be added in the near future.

Leichliter's Mockingbird Mandala joins over two dozen sculptures by National Sculptors' Guild members Tim Cherry,  Jane DeDecker, Clay Enoch, Herb Mignery and Don Rambadt. Our primary goal with the art placements in the outdoor courtyard is to enhance the area with whimsical sculptures inspired by native wildlife. We hope discovering all of the artwork we placed here lifts the spirits of patients and families.

The National Sculptors' Guild is pleased to have 3 of our designs selected as the finalists for the 2017 Public Monument installation for a site at the historic Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Kathleen Caricof's ENLIGHTENMENT, Clay Enoch's UNITED, and Denny Haskew's STRENGTH TO ENDURE. The winner will be announced at the Sculpture at the River Market show on Sunday at 3pm.
If you are in Little Rock, please stop by the show to meet the artists and see some phenomenal sculpture from around the country. It's a great opportunity to take a piece home.

Memorial for Cindy Miller in Little Rock, AR. "ANGEL" by CLAY ENOCH, NATIONAL SCULPTORS' GUILD

​Three-Quarter life-size sculpture of a seated angel. From the bottom of the wreath to the top of the wings the bronze sculpture is approximately 36".  From the top of the base to the top of the wings is approximately 24".  The bronze sculpture will sit on top of a 54-inch tall pink granite base. Overall height is 78”.  

The bronze study is available for separate purchase in a limited edition of 50. Measuring 9” wide by 9” deep based on an ebonized 10" wood column with an overall height of 16". Order one today.