Jane DeDecker (born 30 August 1961) is a sculptor from

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. She specializes in

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 ...

work and her pieces often feature family groups or children. Statue of Harriet Tubman Ypsilanti Michigan

DeDecker was born in

Marengo, Iowa Marengo is a town in and the county seat of Iowa County, Iowa, United States. It has served as the county seat since August 1845, even though it was not incorporated until July 1859. The population was 2,435 in the 2020 census, a decline from 2,5 ...

on 30 August 1961 and attended the

University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially changed ...

from 1979 to 1982. She initially studied painting but a teacher introduced her to sculpture and she began to study sculpting. She also studied weaving and textiles and travelled to Paris to study at the Goeblins School of Tapestry. After graduating, she was an apprentice to sculptor George Lundeen at his sculpture studio in

Loveland, Colorado The City of Loveland is the home rule municipality that is the second most populous municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver and is the 14th most populous city ...

. She learned the techniques of bronze casting, and after two years became a master craftsman at the studio. She also worked with Robert Zimmerman at his bronze studio where she assisted in the production of bronze monuments. DeDecker has also taught sculpture courses at the Loveland Arts Academy and the Denver Arts Students League. In 2007 she became a Fellow of the

National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...

, New York, NY. In 2008, she won the C. Percival Dietsch Prize for Sculpture in the Round. In 2022, DeDecker was named as one of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

s Women of the Year, which recognizes women who have made a significant impact.

Selected works

Statue of Harriet Tubman (Gainesville, Georgia) A statue of Harriet Tubman created by artist Jane DeDecker honors the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The bronze statue depicts Tubman walking and holding the hand of a young boy. There are several installations of identical copies of the ...

Statue of Harriet Tubman (Ypsilanti, Michigan) A statue of Harriet Tubman created by artist Jane DeDecker honors the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The bronze statue depicts Tubman walking and holding the hand of a young boy. There are several installations of identical copies of the ...

Statue of Harriet Tubman (Little Rock, Arkansas) A statue of Harriet Tubman created by artist Jane DeDecker honors the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The bronze statue depicts Tubman walking and holding the hand of a young boy. There are several installations of identical copies of the ...

* ''

Through the Shelter of Love ''Through the Shelter of Love'' is a 1994 bronze sculpture by Jane DeDecker, installed in Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and tow ...

'', Salt Lake City * Fountain at Cerritos Sculpture Garden,

Cerritos, California Cerritos (Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 20 ...

* Works in the Dale Nicholson Sculpture Garden,

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeDecker, Jane 1961 births Living people People from Marengo, Iowa University of Northern Colorado alumni American women sculptors 21st-century American women artists