Eagle lands at Vanderbilt
The Bill of Rights Eagle sculpture was designed to express great ideas
about universal themes, such as the influences of law on civilization and
the respect for the nation's constitutionally protected freedoms, according
to its creator, Greg Wyatt.
"Similar to the protective tenets of the Bill of Rights that arch
across the nation and embrace America's citizens, the wings of the bronze
eagle assure U.S. citizens that all is well under the watchful eye of democracy,"
said Wyatt, who directs the NCF's Academy of Art.
The sculpture is rich in symbolism. In its powerful talons, the eagle grasps
an American flag, immortalized by a wave caught in the fresh wind of freedom.
It is perched high on a rock, representing the solid foundation of democracy.
Designed to merge the visual aesthetics of the American eagle, the nation's
symbol, the eagle guards the Stars and Stripes while poised for flight.
Cascading behind the eagle are 10 granite steps, which signify the first
amendments. The steps are bordered right and left by a wave pattern, symbolizing
the reach of the amendments from "sea to shining sea."
Various replicas of the Bill of Rights Eagle are currently on display in
the U.S. Capitol Building in the office of Senate Majority Whip Trent Lott,
R-Miss., and in the anteroom of the chairman of the House Foreign Relations
Committee, Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-N.Y. In addition, a replica of the Bill
of Rights Eagle was unveiled at Harvard University last month.
Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., wrote Chancellor Joe B. Wyatt last May about
the work of Greg Wyatt and the NCF.
"An historic living document, our Bill of Rights ought to be the focus
of our continuous study and appreciation, for it outlines the most fundamental
freedoms and protections we enjoy as Americans," Chancellor Wyatt told
those attending the May 1 dedication.
[ Return to Register
| News and Public Affairs
]
This document created May 22, 1997
HTML Translation by Billy Kingsley