Groundbreaking planned Saturday in Washington, D.C., for National Native American Veterans Memorial, designed by acclaimed Oklahoma artist Harvey Pratt

Sep. 21--WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Museum of the American Indian is hosting Saturday the groundbreaking of the National Native American Veterans Memorial, designed by acclaimed Oklahoma artist Harvey Pratt.

In honor of the occasion,the Smithsonian museum is hosting a daylong Celebration of Native American Veterans that will include children's activities, a drum group and exhibition tours.

As previously reported, Pratt, an award-winning Cheyenne and Arapaho artist based in Guthrie, was named last year the winner of the National Native American Veterans Memorial design contest. His design concept, titled "Warriors' Circle of Honor" was selected unanimously by the jury for the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.

The memorial is to be located prominently on the Washington, D.C., museum's grounds on the National Mall, which draws nearly 24 million visitors a year.

"We'll be in the company of the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument. We'll be in that company," Pratt told me in a 2018 interview. "I think that reality is just going to hit us in the face full force for quite a while."

Projected to cost about $8 million to build, it is slated to open in November 2020, around Veterans Day.

The National Museum of the American Indian was commissioned by Congress to build the National Native American Veterans Memorial. Native Americans serve in the U.S. military at a higher rate per capita than any other population group, according to the Smithsonian.

An internationally known painter, sculptor and forensic artist, Pratt retired last year as the forensic artist for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation after a more than 50-year career in law enforcement. He's also a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Marine Corps, and he said the idea of a National Native American Veterans Memorial resonated with him.

Pratt's "Warrior's Circle of Honor" design has as its focal point an elevated stainless-steel circle that symbolizes the cycles of life and death as well as unity among Native veterans. Since the memorial is supposed to represent all Native Americans and not one specific tribe, the artist said he incorporated symbols that are universal among American Indian nations, including the cardinal directions, sacred colors and the elements of the Earth.

As part of preparing his proposal, Pratt had to assemble a team of architects, engineers and contractors to build his "Warriors' Circle" in the event it was named the winning design. Although he didn't know them well, he reached out Oklahoma City architects Hans and Torrey Butzer, who have earned international acclaim for their work on the Oklahoma City National Memorial and the Skydance Bridge.

They assembled a team that included fellow Oklahoma firms Obelisk Engineering and Guernsey Engineers, as well as out-of-state companies that employ Oklahoma talents.

"We love collaborating; I think it's evident in the projects that we've been a part of over our career. The key to any successful project is the quality and integrity of the people," Butzer told me in a 2018 interview.

"Torrey and I took a lot of care in putting together a team that not only was the best experienced and had the qualifications but also a team that would give all Oklahomans something that they could proud of in building this national memorial on the mall."

For the team, Pratt also recruited his wife, Gina Pratt, and his son and fellow artist Nathan Pratt.

As part of Saturday's festivities, Pratt and Kevin Gover, the director of the National Museum of the American Indian, will participate in a public discussion at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 1:30 p.m. Central about the importance of the memorial and his vision for its design.

To watch the live webcast of Pratt's talk, click here.

-BAM

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