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Additional Artworks

From Public Art Omaha

  1. Portal by Drew Davies, Image 3.

    Drew Davies

    Portal

    Mixed Media

    144 x 96 in

  2. Repose by Matthew Placzek, Image 2.

    Matthew Placzek

    Repose

    Painted steel

  3. aha-MO by Paul Konchagulian, Image 4.

    Paul Konchagulian

    aha-MO

    powder-coated steel

    72 x 192 x 33 in

  4. Eclipse by Santiago Cal, Image 1.

    Santiago Cal

    Eclipse

    Fiberglass, Paint

    72 x 72 in

  5. The Visitation by Timothy Schmalz, Image 1.

    Timothy Schmalz

    The Visitation

    Bronze

  6. Tool Cool Cougar by Leslie Bruning, Image 4.

    Leslie Bruning

    Tool Cool Cougar

    Painted metal

    82 x 56 x 56 in

  7. Nebraska Grilles by Stephen Robin, Image 1.

    Stephen Robin

    Nebraska Grilles

    Bronze

    756 x 288 in

  8. Victory '95 by John Lajba, Image 5.

    John Lajba

    Victory '95

    Bronze

    120 x 216 x 384 in

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About the artist

Littleton Alston

Littleton Alston grew up in Washington, D.C. He and his brothers explored nearby neighborhoods and the National Mall on their bicycles, splashing through reflecting pools, eavesdropping on tours in the U.S. Capitol, and subconsciously absorbing the monumental landscape and its public art. Alston was intrigued by sculpture as a young child, and his mother, recognizing his artistic talent, took him to apply to the then-new high school Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Despite long cross-town commutes, Alston thrived and concluded his high school years by winning a senior art prize. He earned a scholarship and attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he majored in sculpture. Alston completed an M.F.A. at the Maryland Institute College of Arts Rinehart Graduate School of Sculpture and then worked under several experienced sculptors. In 1989, he had a residency at the Bemis Center of Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. In later years Alston studied in Italy and France, where he further explored the sculpting practices that underpin his work in figurative representation; he also studied anatomy at the Creighton University College of Medicine.

Alston joined the faculty of Creighton University in 1990 and is now a full professor of sculpture. He maintains a private studio in addition to teaching. Alston exhibits work regularly and has completed dozens of public commissions. He was selected from more than 70 applicants to sculpt this statue of Cather. In reflecting on his childhood in Washington and his adulthood based in Nebraska, Alston observed that people in the Midwest, like coastal people, have a way of looking far off. He noted that he started life with a sense of denseness and verticality, but that years in Omaha and the vast spaces around it have shifted his awareness to the horizontal. After more than 40 years living and working in the state, he considers himself a Nebraskan.

Image of artist