Prairie Formation, Jim Bass
Artwork Overview
Prairie Formation,
1981
Where object was made: United States
Credit line: Donated by the Pi Deuteron chapter of Phi Gamma Delta
Accession number: T2015.105
On display: outdoors northeast of Blake Hall
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Audio Tour – Ear for Art
Audio Tour – Ear for Art
What does this sculpture have to do with Kansas?
Artists sometimes give hints about the meaning of a work in the title. In this case, the artist, Jim Bass, called this work Prairie Formation. A resident of Topeka, Bass has explained that he was endeavoring “to reconcile the visual landscape of the 20th century with the textures and forms of the Kansas landscape.” He’s also written that he wants to “challenge the imagination about the prairie, it’s people and textures.” Take a closer look at the work. Walk around it. Is there something about the color, texture or shape that reminds you of a landscape?
Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
What is the meaning of life? This is a question that goes through everybody's mind at some point. Are we made to go to school and live off education or to develop and raise a family and follow what evolution has been programmed into our minds? The meaning of life is glorious in the sense that you make the definition for yourself. Every individual person is unique, different, and interprets life in a separate way. This sculpture, Prairie Formation, by Jim Bass, tells the story of life and its distinct qualities. The 7 foot 2 inch, welded bronze piece is what appears to be a flower but with the outside edges seeming to be the texture of a tree. This could be interpreted many different ways but how I saw it, the sculpture was coming to be its rightful self. Many people lie to themselves on what they are or what they are to become or society fits them into their own faction at birth. But a few defy these proclamations and blossom into what they truly are. From my understanding Jim Bass is trying to convey the journey of a young flower discovering its meaning of life and becoming what they truly want to be which in this case is a tree. Even though this sounds a bit unrealistic and silly, in the real world people are coming to terms with their identity as a person and some even share their own personal stories. Some people in college have a similar story which makes the location of this statue on the campus of the University of Kansas more symbolic and meaningful. College is a time where you find the direction you want your life to go in and who you truly are. But college isn't limited to finding your meaning. I just hope at some point in time you find your purpose and the meaning of your life. This has been Trevor Arellano with another Bulldog podcast.
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Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
One hundred years before thousands of students traversed it on a daily basis, Mount Oread was part of a vast sea of prairie grasses. In 1981, Kansas artist Jim Bass created a bronze monument to those wild days. Influenced by cubism and his interest in the Midwest, Bass created his sculpture “Prairie Formation” that today is installed on the east side campus behind Fraser hall.
Jim Bass was born in 1933 and today works from his studios on a 40 acre farm near Topeka. Many of his themes concern the Midwest. Prairie Formation is a tall, welded, red-bronze piece approximately 7 feet high, finished in varied Earth tones, installed in a circle of grass. Bass does most of his craftsmanship in bronze, like this piece, as he feels it is a less understood medium. This abstract work appears to be a cubist interpretation of a flower, but the sides of what would be the “stem” resemble a bark-like surface. The overall theme of the sculpture is a variety of rough textures, and the meticulousness of this artist is thoroughly represented.
At first glance, it could be interpreted objectively as a literal prairie formation; a lone, eroded piece of rock in a badland resembling Castle Rock in Western Kansas. The bark-like texture could remind viewers of the forest at the edge of the prairie, or viewed at a distance, the sculpture could be perceived as a carving of a torch. To me, the piece is a reminder of the natural history of Mount Oread. I’ve spent many afternoons walking through the last wild places of Kansas with my dad, and all those memories are uncovered by viewing this piece like a past prairie field after rain, uncovering ancient arrowheads and pottery which the Native Americans used long ago. Only a quarter mile away from the “Prairie Acre,” the last remnant of native prairie on campus, Prairie Formation is an abstract, artistic reminder, of the prairies past, that has since been overridden by buildings, people, and trees. Historically, the “formation” part of the sculpture would have been a rock edifice. Perhaps now it symbolizes what this university grew upon, and marks the grave of the mortal prairie.
This has been Chloe Frazier with another Bulldog Podcast.
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There are several things you could envision when observing Jim Bass’ Prairie Formation. A tulip, a tree, a torch. This sculpture is forged out of bronze and is 7feet and 2 inches tall. The base of this sculpture is smooth and has squared edges, and reminds me of a plant, growing up from the ground. As your eyes move up the sculpture, the smoothness suddenly stops, breaking into many directions and becomes quite geometric. This piece reminds me of a human’s life, with the smooth bottom represents a person’s early years, while they have their parents’ protection and guidance. They go through their school and young life with only a few rough edges. They then transition into adulthood, which can be messy and tangled, although it can grow into many different directions. What puzzles me about this piece, is the name. Why would Bass name this sculpture Prairie formation? Was Bass referring to an actual prairie, or is this an analogy to a deeper, more intricate image of what a prairie represents? To mankind, the prairie is a blank canvas, waiting to be painted on, presenting new opportunities and future. What they don’t see is that the prairie is an ecosystem sustaining life to many insects and animals.
When I relate myself to this sculpture, I can see that I have a clear path. I have four more years of school, and probably college, but after that, I don’t know what I am going to do. I have so many things I want to do and explore, my life could go into so many different directions. Even though I don’t know what direction my sculpture will go, I intend to live life to the fullest and enjoy every twist and turn.
This has been Tessa Brel with another Bulldog Podcast.
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Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
Born in 1960, native Hawaiian Craig Dan Goseyun was not originally American-Indian but fell in love with the culture that he was exposed to while living with his mother on a reservation when his father was overseas in Vietnam. He later became a member of the San Carlos Eastern White Mountain Apache and began using his gift for art to portray his tribe's legends in the form of sculptures.
The University of Kansas purchased one of these sculptures, Water Carrier, in 1994. Goseyun said that this 8 foot, 3,000 pound, bronze vase is meant to signify the importance of water to all living creatures. Because of this, KU appropriately placed the sculpture alfresco to Spooner Hall, their then School of Anthropology.
At first glance, Water Carrier seems to be just an ordinary vase, but through further inspection of the sculpture and its history, it becomes evident that it is so much more. As you approach, the gentle slope of a water droplet carving its way down the side of the vase insinuates an unmistakable feeling of harmony. Adding to this feeling is the base’s main component, red Dakota sandstone, the same material used to create Spooner Hall. Water Carrier’s perfect alignment with the center of the three arches that mark the entrance to the former School of Anthropology make this already growing sense of harmony almost overwhelming.
This profound sense of peace caused me to think back to primordial times when our ancestors were one with nature and all living beings. I believe that those are the thoughts Goseyun was attempting to capture, for what better way to enter a School of Anthropology than to have your mind focused on the earliest existence of humankind?
This has been Charlie Johnson with another bulldog podcast.
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In a secluded area east of Blake Hall on the KU campus, there lies Jim Bass’s vivid Prairie Formation. At first glance, your eyes immediately identify the textures displayed throughout the bronze sculpture’s 7 foot, 2 inch stature. The fluidity in all respects of the sculpture is evident. The diagonal and vertical lines along the sides of the pedestal resemble the ceaseless sway of the wheatgrass in the prairie, reflecting the common interpretation of Kansas in the 19th century. Earthy hues such as sepias, oranges, and reds create depth and emphasize the tree bark surfacing on the sides of the plinth alternating with the diagonal and vertical line pattern. The abstract structure resting on the base is constructed with various three dimensional triangular pieces appearing like layers. The avant garde sculpture in its entirety is geometric, giving it a modernistic appearance. Upon completion of his welded bronze piece, Jim Bass stated he was “endeavoring to reconcile the visual landscape of the 20th century with the textures and forms of the Kansas landscape.”
Born in 1933, Jim Bass grew up in Kansas which immensely influenced his work that derives its imagery from prairie themes and the Midwest influence. Bass’s art expands on directions charted by cubism, one of the most prominent visual art styles of the early 20th century created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Jim Bass studied at the University of Kansas under the tutelage of Bernard Fraizer and Elden C. Tefft. Following his graduation in 1955, Jim Bass studied under Rudolfo Gonzales in Guanajato, Mexico on archaic methods of bronze casting. He developed his own bronze foundry and operates a studio outside Topeka, Kansas. By using a particular alloy, nickel-bronze, which contains copper, the surface of his sculptures erode and bring out earth tones widely recognized in his artworks. Jim Bass has public works on display in scores of towns in Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota.
I believe that Jim Bass’s Prairie Formation symbolizes Kansas and the Midwest with its unique structure and textures. But perhaps, it can be represented as humans and their distinctive habits and traits. The structure of the sculpture depicts our transformation and how we are always evolving. As human beings, there are parts of us that remain the same. However, we will always advance and strive to improve ourselves. Because I come from an Asian heritage, it is a never-ending battle between my native culture and my adoptive American culture. But we must always remember the tree bark and wheatgrass of the prairie within us that define who we are, even if we’re a work in progress. This has been Anna Peard with another bulldog podcast.
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Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
At first glance, the sculpture, Prairie Formation, doesn’t look like anything remarkable. It just looks like pieces of bronze that have been welded together to form some sort of irregular shape. However, if you take a closer look at this sculpture, you will find some interesting things on its surface.
The sculpture, made out of welded bronze, starts out simple at the base, with only two main textures visible, and the shape is not too odd or complex. As the sculpture gets taller, however, there are more shapes that are more complex and dynamic than the shape of the base. There are now multiple textures on the sculpture near the top.
Prairie Formation was created by Jim Bass, born 1933. It was donated to KU on May 2nd, 1981 by the Pi Deuteron chapter of Phi Gamma Delta to commemorate their centennial.
Jim Bass states that when he was making this piece of art, he was aiming to “reconcile the visual landscape of the 20th century with the textures and forms of the Kansas landscape”.
What exactly does this quote mean?
I think that this sculpture represents the simplicity of the plains and how humans have changed it and made it more complex in its form. It represents how the plains - and the human species - have started out simple, and as the years go by, they slowly become more diverse and fascinating, yet they never truly change from what they originally were. The abstract and simple design of this sculpture is how it truly conveys its meaning to the viewer.
The Great Plains today look much more different than what they would have looked like millions of years ago, before humans came to this region. Animals roamed freely across wild and grassy plains. Now, there’s cities, towns and farms across the state, large buildings and modern technology.
As the years progress, we as a species are moving forwards - and thus are striving to move forward as much as possible - in settlement and technology. Progression and evolution is natural and is something the human species wants. Therefore, we cannot suppress that urge, and so must move forwards for the good of our species.
However, sometimes, we forget about the natural environment around us when building and progressing. We can’t mindlessly progress and casually ignore the other species on this planet, whose habitats we may be destroying. Ecosystems cannot work without every part, and if we eliminate one such part, the rest will come down. I believe that this sculpture is a reminder that we should be mindful of the natural environment around us as we try to advance forwards.
When the human species moves forwards in attempts to improve, we must remember that other species exist on this planet, and find the best balance of nature and technology to survive.
This has been Laura with another Bulldog Podcast.