Dignity of Earth and Sky is a soaring and breathtaking sculpture created by South Dakota artist Dale Claude Lamphere. It is situated on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River at the Visitor Center near Chamberlain, South Dakota.
With his innovative use of materials and technologies combined with his interdisciplinary approach, the artist has used hundreds of pieces of stainless steel to create synergy of art, engineering and sense of place.
This statue of a Native American woman stands 50 feet high and is 32 feet wide and 16 feet deep.
She is holding a Star Quilt, by David Claymore, of 128 diamond shapes in the colors of the water and the sky that surround her. The diamonds move in the winds like an Aspen leaf.
Dignity honors the Native Nations of the Great plains – the Lakota and Dakota people.
“My intent is for the sculpture to stand as an enduring symbol of our sacred belief that all here are sacred and in a sacred place.” – D C Lamphere
Dignity was gifted to the State of South Dakota in 2014 in honor of South Dakota’s 125th state anniversary and erected September 2016.
South Dakota’s native cultures are alive, standing with dignity.
Richard and Louise, this is a very interesting sculpture.
Thanks for sharing.
What an impressive sculpture. It really is pleasing to the eye. The Lakota people’s struggle to look after their country is something that touches our hearts.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos.