Monuments of Multiple Meanings: Alexander Phimister Proctor’s University of Oregon Representations of Pioneers and Native Americans Over Time

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Date

2017-12

Authors

Jenkins, Madeline Luella

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

This paper investigates the shifting meanings of Alexander Phimister Proctor’s University of Oregon statues, The Pioneer and The Pioneer Mother. Because of changing social and historical contexts, these pioneer statues convey significantly different implications now than they did when they first arrived on campus in the early twentieth century. By exploring the biography the artist, the history of the statues, their donors, and their reception on campus, we can observe how the University of Oregon community viewed these pioneer statues during their introductions to campus. Subsequently, by examining the implications of the monumental sculpture genre, the current nationwide trend in reconsidering historical monuments, and the history of settler-colonialism in the Willamette Valley, we can identify what The Pioneer and The Pioneer Mother mean to a contemporary campus. The goal of this research is to establish that these statues have not one, but multiple meanings across time and contextual transformations.

Description

57 pages. Presented to the Department of the History of Art and Architecture and the Robert D. Clark Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts December 2017

Keywords

Art History, University of Oregon, Alexander Phimister Proctor, Pioneers, Native Americans, Monuments, Settler colonialism

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