''Otis Bowen'' is a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

bust of Dr.

Otis Bowen Otis Ray Bowen (February 26, 1918 – May 4, 2013) was an American politician and physician who served as the 44th Governor of Indiana from 1973 to 1981 and as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Cabinet of President Ronald Reagan from ...

, who was the

Governor of Indiana The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government ...

from 1973–1981 and

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

from 1985–1989 under President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

Description

The

bust depicts former Governor Otis R. Bowen in glasses and wearing a jacket, shirt and tie. The bust sits atop a wooden base to which a plaque is attached that reads "OTIS R. BOWEN, M.D. / GOVERNOR / JANUARY 8, 1973 - JANUARY 12, 1981." The bust and base sit within an alcove on the second floor of the

Indiana Statehouse The Indiana Statehouse is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other state officials. The Statehouse is located in ...

directly across the hall from the House of Representatives. A plaque attached to the wall under the alcove reads: The back of the bust is signed by both Governor Bowen and artist Lou Ann Lanagan, and is dated 1981.Indiana State Museum. ''Bust of Otis Bowen'', ID 99.2006.020.0077. 11 May 2006. Retrieved from Indiana State Museum Mimsy Database 13 Dec. 2010.

Historical information

In 1981, the original model of the bust was made in clay based on

Polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...

photographs taken of the governor by artist Lou Ann Lanagan, a personal friend of Bowen's. Lanagan chose to portray Bowen smiling to reflect his open personality. Using the

lost-wax casting Lost-wax casting (also called "investment casting", "precision casting", or ''cire perdue'' which has been adopted into English from the French, ) is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often silver, gold, brass, or bronze) is ...

process, Lanagan created the final bust in bronze. Three copies were made of the bust: one resides in the rotunda of the

, one at the Otis R. Bowen Museum on the campus of Bethel College, and another belongs to

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

, where it stands in the Archives and Special Collections Research Center in

Bracken Library The Alexander M. Bracken Library is the main library on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Opened in September 1975 and designed by Walter Scholer and Associates and the Perkins and Will Partnership of Chicago, the 320,000- ...

Artist

Sculptor Lou Ann Lanagan was not professionally trained as an artist, but became interested in sculpting after watching her dentist work with dental plaster. Lanagan commented to her dentist that the work looked like fun, so he challenged her to make the likeness of a human face out of clay. Starting with a bust of her husband, Lanagan soon moved on to produce busts of other prominent Indiana businessmen, including

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly (July 8, 1838 – June 6, 1898) was an American soldier, pharmacist, chemist, and businessman who founded the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical corporation. Lilly enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War and r ...

and Thomas H. Lake (President, Eli Lilly and Co.). Lanagan has stated that she prefers to sculpt men over the age of 50.

References

External links

Indiana Statehouse Tour Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Otis, Bust of 1981 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Indiana Bowen, Otis Indiana Statehouse Public Art Collection Monuments and memorials in Indiana Sculptures of men in Indiana