History of Ad Astra
Among the 50 American states, the choice of a Native American as a representational figure of the state is rather rare. In fact, only our neighbor state Oklahoma, the former Indian Territory, chose an indigenous figure, called “The Guardian”, to represent the state’s capitol. Much more typical than Native American figures are classical Greek or Roman figures, eagles, or other assorted human figures. Kansas similarly planned to position a classical statue on top of the Topeka capitol at first. It all started in 1889, when the government of Topeka decided to hold a design competition to determine what would top the capitol dome. Charles H. Niehaus won the competition with a proposal of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. However, voices of opposition were soon heard, raising concerns about the appropriateness of having a pagan goddess representing the Kansas government, especially when that goddess had produced a child fathered by her brother. Although several other states are represented by Ceres, she eventually lost her spot on the Topeka dome, but replacements were slow in appearing, for it would be the better part of a century before the Kansas government selected Bergen’s Ad Astra as a replacement.
Issues with Ceres
In the case of Ceres commission, public support waned in 1901 before any real progress on the installation was made. Some individuals advocated for representations of Kansas industries other than agriculture. A local newspaper correspondent’s response reflects the frustration of the public directed toward the ongoing events: “There is eleventh hour talk of changing the statue to that of some man. Superintendent Nelson advances the idea that agriculture is not the only thing in Kansas. Perhaps he wants a school house on the dome. Governor Stanley favors a change from Ceres to a man” (Topeka State Journal, Saturday Evening October 12, 1901). Others suggested “an Indian or a buffalo as a substitute” (Topeka State Journal Oct 12, 1901).
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From Goddess to Warrior
Ninety-five years passed between Ceres being scrapped and the state obtaining funding in 1984 to commission a new sculpture. In 1988, Richard Bergen won the bid with his idea of Ad Astra, a Kansa Indian aiming for the stars. The state required Bergen to raise his own funds to produce the statue, which presented a rather large obstacle. Funds were eventually procured through crowd-sourcing of various sorts (including the sale of 40 20-inch-tall miniatures), but it wasn’t until 2002 that Ad Astra finally made it to its destination on top of the capitol dome. A journey of over a hundred years, completed in spite of the many obstacles.
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