Marrita Black, a 1975 graduate of Missouri Western State University, created a large bronze sculpture for the new Welcome Plaza at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. The plaza near OSU’s Student Union was recently dedicated by university officials.
Black’s sculpture, “Proud and Immortal,” features a mare and foal, 1.25 times life size and cast in bronze, along with a bronze saddle sitting atop a nearby fence. Black was chosen to sculpt the monument from among 75 artists who entered a competition. The symbolism of the mare and foal was an important element for Black in creating the sculpture.
“I thought about families and students and the anxiety students must have as they’re running off to college,” Black said in an Oklahoma State press release. “But you’ve got to cut those strings. It’s a big part of growing up.”
Black’s work is on display worldwide, including hotels in Rome and monuments in Brazil. Locally, she created a bronze bust of Doris Hines that is displayed at Mosaic Life Care. Her giant sculpture of four paint horses will soon be part of the Fort Worth (Texas) Stockyards District, and the American Quarter Horse Association has used her sculpture as a trophy for at least 10 years.
Before she became an artist, Black was a horse trainer and champion exhibitor of quarter horses. Currently in addition to her art work, she exhibits AKC champion Chinese crested dogs. She and her husband Bob Black live in Gainesville, Texas.
More information about Black’s work is available at www.horsesculpture.com.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.