The Pioneer, Frederick C. Hibbard

Is this sculpture about Kansas? Works of art can be interpreted in many ways- and what we think about a work can change with the time period. The first sculpture on campus, this work was originally titled The Corn Planter. It was purchased at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and given to the university by Dr. Simeon Bell in memory of his wife. Bell hoped it might help succeeding generations “understand the difficulties and handicaps early Kansans encountered.” To better reflect this idea, the sculpture was later renamed The Pioneer. Which title is a better fit for the work -the current or the original? Does knowing the earlier title make you think about the work in a different way? Let us know your thoughts by pressing 0# Here’s another interesting fact: The Oregon Trail actually passed close to this spot. Does this strengthen the case for the new title? Is it OK to retitle a work of art without the artist’s approval?

The 1st sculpture on the KU campus, the Pioneer by Frederick C. Hibbard shows a man planting and harvesting corn. Standing at 5 feet, 11¼ inches, this bronze statue was a gift of Simeon B. Bell in 1904. This sculpture is placed, facing west, most likely to reflect the attitude of the time period it was created in. During the 1800s, Americans attempted to spread out across the entire continent, colonizing and building cities. This led to the America that exists today, and this piece wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for early settlers, or as we know them, pioneers. These people were focused on innovation and exploration. Throughout this time period, and into the 20th century, people were expanding, inventing, and innovating. In 150 years, our society has transformed, from a society with rudimentary electronics, such as telegraphs, and scarce electrical lighting, with our main mode of transportation being horse drawn carriages, to having phones that can call someone anywhere on the planet one minute, then transform into an entertainment system the next by simply touching the screen. We have supercomputers, and we can travel faster than the speed of sound. We have never lost this attitude of innovation. We still aspire to create something new. Yet, it seems ironic, that despite what this sculpture represents, it is located a mere few hundred feet from an area of land that has been left undisturbed since this time. Surrounded by buildings, roads, and landscaped lawns lies something so different, so out of place, possibly to help us remember where we came from, and see how far we’ve come. No matter what we do, or where we go, we must never forget our origins. This piece represents this more and more as time goes on, and we get farther and farther from this time. It is important to remember that all the towns, cities, and states we see here started with a single brave pioneer, moving forward into the unknown. This applies ideas too. A single man figured out how to make light come out of a little glass bulb. A single man changed his voice into electricity, then back into sound again. The limits of human achievement are defined only by the imagination of each person, as they think of something new, and go into the unknown. As colonization was started by a single pioneer, the next great step forward for humanity starts with the step of one single person. This has been John Loos with another Bulldog Podcast.

“The Pioneer” by Frederick C. Hibbard creates a whirlpool of thoughts in my head. Hibbard, born June 15, 1881 in Canton, Mississippi has been sculpting since he was a young boy with clay he found on the muddy banks of rivers. Now he is a thriving bronze sculptor. Some of his major sculptures are, a Confederate monument in Forsyth, Georgia, and the eagle on top of the Illinois monument in Vicksburg. He also has sculptures of Abraham Lincoln with Mary Todd Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, along with Huckleberry Finn. Hibbard later died in Chicago on December 12, 1950. “The Pioneer” is a sculpture of a farmer that is harvesting corn. This sculpture, gifted to the University in 1905 by Simeon Bell, was the first sculpture on campus. It is located on top of a plinth in between Blake and Frazer hall. “The Pioneer”, created in 1856 is made out of bronze and stands at 5 feet 11¾ inches. “The Pioneer” raises many questions in me: where did this Pioneer come from, why is he all alone, and who is he providing for. The Pioneer looks aged from years of aggravating farm labor that required an extreme amount of hard-work. It is very noticeable that this pioneer is under incredible amounts of stress doing his job, but he is being exceptionally bold to keep going through with it. A 30 second walk away from “The Pioneer”, is a patch of grass that has been untouched by the University, I believe that the patch of grass is there to pay respect to the Pioneers that cultivated the land before us. This sculpture makes me feel sorry for the stress put on the farmer, but hopeful for his future. “The Pioneer” has many components to it, it is made up of a farmer, shovel, seeds in his hand, harvested corn, soil, and a wide-brimmed hat. This statue reminds me of when farmers were relied on heavily to produce food for the whole Country. The hearty Pioneer brings up many questions to ponder, but those questions have no right or wrong answer, they are up to you to decide. This has been Peyton Mallory with another Bulldog Podcast.

Who is the man digging in the ground sweating with a shovel? Standing at 5’11 feet tall, digging in the ground is The Pioneer made by Frederick C. Hibbard and purchased in 1904 was made of bronze and given to the Kansas University as a gift. This piece is interesting in why it was a gift to Simon B. Bell who was a pioneer who came all the way from D.C. to Lawrence, Kansas and it's just amazing how far people would travel from their old homes to find a new life that could be rewarding or horrible. This sculpture can have many interpretations. One of them is that it represents the hardships of the people who risked everything to go to new lands to start up a new life for themselves and eventually be able to start a community then hopefully a town. When I see this piece it makes me wonder what type of people came over to Kansas and how they started their life, were they farmers, miners, ranchers, and many other things and where they came from. Did they have to go through life threatening situations or was their journey fairly easy. This is why this sculpture is so interesting it makes you wonder about other things. Everyone can have some connection to this piece of artwork too since no matter who you are you can relate to the pioneer in some way or another, some people travel a lot which is what pioneers had to do to get to their new homes and towns while others may just have relatives who traveled somewhere new to live which is still relatable to this. I personally love this sculpture because of all the history it has to offer us all and that it represents so much and that it's also an amazing sculpture even by itself. This has been Savannah with another Bulldog Podcast.

Manifest destiny is the United States supposed god given right to expand to the pacific coast. The pioneer statue on KU’s campus exemplifies this thought. This statue, showing a pioneer planting corn, was created by the American Bronze Foundry of Chicago and Frederick Cleveland Hibbard in 1856. He is made to look proud and majestic in his work. This may have been the artist trying to show his sense of patriotism. But back to Manifest Destiny. This term began being used widely during the 1840’s to justify the expansion of Americans into California and Oregon Territory and remove many peoples during that expansion. One group heavily affected by this were the Native Americans. They were forced off their land and onto reservations half the size and a fourth as fertile as their previous land. Many long lasting traditions stopped when they were moved. I believe that the pioneer statue shows most Americans opinions about westward expansion and their ignorance on what was really going on. Another interesting fact about this piece of art is its placement. About 100 feet from this statue there is a small patch of untouched prairie. Is this coincidental or was this on purpose. This was probably on purpose as both of these things remind of us simpler times. The patch of grass especially contrasts with the large buildings and the structures surrounding it. To some this may seem out of place in our technologically advanced world but I think it is prime example reminder of how far we have come. This pioneer changed the course of American history standing in that very spot 150 years ago so what's stopping you. This has been Nathan Williams with another Bulldog Podcast.

A typical drought in Kansas during the nineteenth century dried the wells, scorched the crops, and killed the livestock. If any produce somehow made it to maturity, the grasshoppers would consume the harvest and complete the devastation. Tornadoes came about tearing the farmer’s hope further apart by destroying their hard work. Snakes would live in food cellars and were often found under the covers of beds looking for an opportunity for strike. For the pioneers of the nineteenth century, the struggles they went through were unthinkable, but despite these hardships, they lasted through trials and did not surrender. Two great men, Frederick C Hibbard and Simeon Bell were able to commemorate these pioneers with a statue that can be seen today. Simeon Bell greatly wanted a local school of medicine and a hospital in memory of his late wife. As a result, Bell donated $25,000 worth of land and $50,000 more of funds for several hospitals in Kansas City and many Universities of the area. Bell was honored for his assistance to the developing college and in addition, continued to give. Bell presented the university their first sculpture on campus, after purchasing it from a Chicago artist by the name of Frederick Hibbard. When beginning his sculpture career in the early 1900’s, Frederick C. Hibbard sought for inspiration. Growing up in the midwest, Hibbard had witnessed firsthand the hardships of farming through tough times to save crops and livestock. He wanted people to view his work and acknowledge the accomplishments of their ancestors. With that, Hibbard began his sculpture, The Corn Planter. In this sculpture, we see a farmer holding a shovel in one hand and corn seeds in the other. Two ears of corn sit at his feet, representing the plague that early pioneers went through. The Corn Planter later was named The Pioneer. To this day, the figure faces west as a true pioneer; fearless and powerful. While on the University's campus, I recognize this sower faithfully standing strong around a plot of wheat. The Pioneer represents hope and determination through tribulations of the world. It is made of bronze, which also could symbolize the strength of the farmers. I believe that it was significant that the artist had lived in the midwest and noticed the hardships of the farmers and early pioneers. Because of his background, he was able to create an accurate depiction of the early Kansas settlers to inspire enduring through challenges, without surrender. This has been Martha with another Bulldog Podcast.