Skip to main content

A Blog for Future Shockers

The Keeper of the Plains is a 44-foot tall steel art piece at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers in downtown Wichita.
The Keeper of the Plains is a 44-foot tall steel art piece at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers in downtown Wichita.Undergraduate Admissions

What Is the Story Behind These Sculptures on Campus?

April 8, 2024
By Clinton Dick

Clinton Dick

Clinton is a Marketing Coordinator at Wichita State's Office of Undergraduate Admissions. He loves walking his dog on campus, and jogging on the Redbud Trail just south of Wichita State near 17th Street. He is a native Kansan and loves the Sunflower State (in spite of the weather).

While exploring campus there is a chance of stumbling upon a distinctive outdoor sculpture. This 10-foot-tall piece of art depicts an Indigenous person with hands raised in supplication to the Great Spirit. Wichita State's main campus hosts two of these sculptures, each with unique hand-painted designs. But what do they mean? Where did they come from? The story behind these sculptures dates back more than 50 years into the city's history.

These sculptures are smaller versions of Wichita's largest and most iconic piece of public art. The Keeper of the Plains is a 44-foot tall steel sculpture that overlooks the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers near downtown Wichita. It was created by Comanche/Kiowa artist and prominent Wichitan Blackbear Bosin and erected in 1974 in celebration of the United States Bi-Centennial and in honor of the culture of Indigenous people who inhabited the area. The sacred grounds which it stands include:

  • Mid-American All-Indian Center
  • A pair of footbridges for visitors crossing the rivers
  • Displays telling the story of local tribes
  • The Rings of Fire - five fire drums  around the Keeper that are illuminated as part of a nightly ritual from 7 - 7:15 p.m. during the fall/winter and 9 - 9:15 p.m. during the spring/summer.
Ring of Fire nightly ritual at The Keeper of the Plains in downtown Wichita.
Ring of Fire nightly ritual at The Keeper of the Plains in downtown Wichita.Undergraduate Admissions

 

What about Wichita State's miniature versions? With The Keeper being Wichita's most iconic symbol, an art project was established in 2015 to promote city pride. Now headed by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, Keepers on Parade boasts more than 60 Keeper statuettes in various locations around the city. They are made of fiberglass and each is uniquely hand-painted, often reflecting the area in which they reside. This project is done with the approval of the Blackbear Bosin Family Foundation who own the rights to The Keeper. Local artists are commissioned to paint blank fiberglass Keepers through community partners who sponsor the pieces.

One of two Keeper sculptures on Wichita State's campus. This one is located in between NetApp and NIRDT.
One of two Keeper sculptures on Wichita State's campus. Pictured is the one that is located between NetApp and the National Institute of Research and Digital Transformation (NIRDT) on the southeast corner of campus.Clinton Dick/Undergraduate Admissions

 

Wichita State University has two Keepers on its campus. The first is just outside of the west entrance of the Rhatigan Student Center. The second is located between NetApp and the National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation (NIRDT) on the far southeast corner of campus.

Be sure to snap a photo with one of the Keepers on campus and visit the original Keeper in downtown Wichita!

 

 

 

©