Truman Lowe sculpture returns home to ancestral Ho-Chunk land

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A sculpture by a Native American artist and University of Wisconsin professor was finally back home on the UW-Madison campus Friday.

Twenty-six years after Truman Lowe worked on the art piece for the White House Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, the sculpture returned to Wisconsin.

An official dedication of the sculpture, honoring Lowe’s life and work, was held on campus.

The commissioned work is inspired by ancestral mounds and effigies, as well as the spirit of the Ho-Chunk people.

Following its stay at the White House, the piece spent over 20 years at Western Michigan University. Lowe’s family says it’s special to have it back on ancestral land.

“It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for a really long time,” Lowe’s daughter Tonia said. “I’ve had the opportunity to speak about my dad’s work before, but this is particularly special because it’s home. It’s ancestral Ho-Chunk land. It’s where he spent the majority of his career. It feels like everything has come full circle.

The sculpture now resides by UW-Madison’s Van Hise Hall.

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