John Sterner, a Sicangu Lakota, gives most of his sculptures names in Lakota. While there isn’t a direct translation, "Kiciuzapi" roughly translates to 'holding each other sacredly' which according to the artist refers to the two figures but also to human beings and Mother Earth.
The sculpture was cast at the Anurag Art Foundry & Sculpture Studio in Stillwater with the help of Bill and Zach Cole. The foundry is located on the Cole family farm. They helped to realize the dream of what we were hoping to put together, Sterner said.
Sterner is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. When he was about 3 years old, his grandmother handed him paper and asked for him to draw a variety of animals. She remarked that his drawings were good and told him that he was destined to be an artist because he is Sicangu Lakota.
The sculpture was placed in the Arboretum’s grass collection because of how it emulates grass blowing in the wind, Sterner said. He sees grass as something people take for granted.
“Then we have moments where we see a whole field of tall grass that hasn't been cut and it's blowing in the wind,” Sterner said. “All of a sudden, it's the most beautiful thing in the world.”
Kiciuzapi is a gift from Karl and Nancy Cambronne, 2021.