KENT ULLBERG

Stampeding animals in and exiting a planter by the 15th Street parking garage

Omaha, Nebraska - Sculptor Kent Ullberg will install the final two pieces he has created for "Spirit of Nebraska's Wilderness" this week, on Tuesday, August 15th and Wednesday, August 16th. The two larger-than-life stampeding bison cow and bull will be placed in and exiting a planter near the parking garage on 15th Street in downtown Omaha, again using the city's urban landscape as part of the work's canvas.

The monumental work, years in the making, will be complete with the installation of these two animals. Each of the 12-foot-long sculptures weighs approximately 2,000 pounds. A bison cow and calf, with the cow coming through part of the parking structure at 15th and Dodge, was installed last summer. A bull bison is at 15th and Capital. Three more of the sculptor's bison enter Wilderness Park, at First National Center, flushing a flock of geese he created.

The monument that is "Spirit of Nebraska's Wilderness" was commissioned by the First National Bank. It begins in Pioneer Park with Ed Fraughton and Blair Buswell's wagon train. The westward-bound wagon train - four wagons, draft horses, oxen, a dog and two pioneer families, including children, women and a father - causes a heard of bison to stampede. The bison emerge onto Dodge Street, and flush a flock of 58 bronze and stainless-steel Canada geese from a fountain in Wilderness Park. The geese take flight and enter the urban landscape, where they are attached to traffic light standards and buildings throughout downtown Omaha, as well as 18-foot sculpted bronze trees. They conclude their flight in the atrium of the First National Tower.

A native of Sweden, Kent Ullberg is recognized as one of the world's foremost wildlife sculptors. While he has done hundreds of works on a small scale, he is perhaps best known for the monumental works he has executed for museums and municipalities from Omaha, Nebraska to Cape Town, South Africa. His Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Omaha, Nebraska installations are the largest wildlife bronze compositions ever done, spanning several city blocks. Regardless of scale, he imbues all of his subjects with unparalleled vitality.

Ullberg is a member of a number of important art organizations that have honored him with prestigious awards. These include, in New York City, Allied Artists of America, the National Academy, the National Arts Club, the National Sculpture Society and the Society of Animal Artists. In 1990, his peers elected him a full academician to the National Academy, he first wildlife artist since John James Audubon to receive one of the greatest tributes in American art. His memberships and awards outside New York include the American Society of Marine Artists, Ambler, Pennsylvania; and the National Academy of Western Art, Oklahoma City, which awarded him the Prix de West Award in 1998, the foremost award in western art. He is a major supporter of many wildlife conservation efforts.

Ullberg's work can be found in major museums and corporate headquarters around the globe, including the National Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, Sweden; the National Gallery in Botswana, Africa; National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.; Exhibition Hall, Beijing, China; the Guildhall in London, and many more. His pieces can also be found in the private collections of world leaders and celebrities, including H.R.H. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Jack Nicholson and Robert Wagner. For more information, call (970) 667-7809 or (361) 851-1600, email Ullberg@sbcglobal.net or visit www.kentullberg.net.