National Sculpture Society will present the 2018 Alex J. Ettl Grant to Benjamin Victor. The Grant is awarded to sculptors who have demonstrated a commitment to sculpting and an outstanding ability in their body of work. It consists of an unrestricted cash prize of $5000, a half-page ad in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine and a quarter page ad in Sculpture Review magazine.

National Sculpture Society Fellows George Anthonisen, Blair Buswell and Kirsten Kokkin served as the 2018 Ettl Grant jury. Kokkin describes Victor as “an extremely talented young figurative sculptor” who has “an impressive and varied body of work.” Anthonisen adds, “I have no question that Benjamin Victor will continue to develop an expertise that will carry him far. Sculptures created consist of powerful images as well as extraordinary knowledge in the mechanics of sculpture. Victor shows great integrity in what he does.”

In 2003, National Sculpture Society first recognized Victor’s talent with a scholarship for his studies at Northern State University (Aberdeen, SD). Since then, Victor has completed prestigious commissions which honor a variety of subjects including military personnel and historical figures. Two of his figures, Sarah Winnemucca and Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, are part of the National Statuary Hall Collection, representing Nevada and Iowa respectively. In October 2017, hundreds attended the dedication ceremony of Victor’s Ponca Chief Standing Bear at Centennial Mall (Lincoln, NE).  Victor is already hard at work on a Woman’s Legacy Memorial for Kokomo, Indiana.

The National Sculpture Society will present the grant on Saturday, June 23, 2018 at the Honors and Awards Dinner. The Dinner is part of the Sculpture Celebration Conference held June 22-24, 2018 in South Carolina.

Image on Sculpture News: Dr. Norman E. Borlaug