Sculptor Christian Petersen’s influence on Iowa State is widely known in the ISU community, but with the help of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, his work will now have a national presence.

The Smithsonian plans to unveil a bronze casting of “The Cornhusker,” a statue molded after a young Nevada man.

The Brunnier Art Museum and Iowa State will be recognized May 1 as the statue is formally accepted into the Smithsonian’s collection.

“It’s important for us that our campus sculptor is being recognized in one of the greatest American art collections,” said Dana Michels, curator of collections and exhibitions.

As part of the celebration of Petersen’s work, the university and staff at the Brunnier set out to accomplish some goals concerning the collection. One such goal was to increase Petersen’s national recognition.

“This is a wonderful step forward,” said Lynette Pohlman, director and chief curator of Brunnier Museum. “Petersen is dearly beloved in Ames and Iowa but is not well-known by the rest of the world. This places him in the context of American history.”

“The Cornhusker” depicts Marion Link of Nevada participating in a cornhusking contest during the 1930s. According to Michels, the Smithsonian staff showed the most interest in “The Cornhusker” because so few artists of the Depression era focused on rural themes, as Petersen did.

“It is an important representation of a period in time that has been lost today,” Michels said.

Lea Rosson DeLong, an independent curator/art historian that worked closely with the project, said that the acquisition of the sculpture by the Smithsonian better recognizes the Midwest’s contribution to American art during that time.

“This means a good deal to Christian Petersen and his legacy,” DeLong said.

“The Cornhusker” was lost to the art world for 40 years as it sat in the storage area of the Kirkwood Civil Hotel in Des Moines until its location was discovered in 1999.

Conservationists worked for a month to restore the statue to its original condition after the owners of the Kirkwood, the Coppola family, gave the statue to the university as a gift.

The bronze cast will be presented May 1 at the Smithsonian. Future president Gregory Geoffroy will be present, as will Marion Link’s brother and wife.

The daughter of the renowned artist, Mary Petersen, and several grandchildren will also be attending, as will Pohlman, DeLong and other University Museums staff.

“This is a great feat for Iowa State University and is especially good for Brunnier Museum,” DeLong said. “It enlarges the collection’s significance.”

“Petersen is such an important sculptor,” Michels said. “This will give him more of the attention that he deserves.”