Letter from Steve Turner, President of NSU
July 19, 2016
Francis,
Once again the Monument to Forgiveness is a huge hit at NSU. It is quickly becoming one of the most photographed locations on campus. Thank you for returning it to the most appropriate location, great to spend with you!
Steve Turner
Monument to Forgiveness Returns to Oklahoma for Good After 13 Year
Public Radio Tulsa
By: Matt Trotter
June 20, 2016
A 13-year, more than 800-mile journey ends in northeastern Oklahoma for a monument to forgiveness.
“Transformation Through Forgiveness,” a 14-foot, two-ton bronze replica of Francis Jansen’s “Eagle Man,” arrived at Northeastern State University in August 2011, but it went to the start of the Trail of Tears in Cherokee, N.C., in 2002.
It’s returned to NSU permanently, which Keetoowah Band Chief Joe Bunch said is appropriate.
‘Monument to Forgiveness’
Statue Returns to NSU for Permanent Display
Talequah Daily Press
By: Sean Rowley
June 21, 2016
Braving the morning humidity, about 100 people gathered Monday for the “second unveiling” of a towering sculpture at Beta Field on the campus of Northeastern State University.
The “Monument to Forgiveness,” which had stood before at NSU during its peripatetic past, was unveiled at its final stop during a ceremony attended by the sculpture’s creator, Frances Jansen.
“This monument was financed by a man who I never met out of Amsterdam,” said Jansen, a native of the Netherlands. “It’s the way spirit works. I know that one little lady and a monument cannot do all the work of every single one of us to bring peace and reconciliation.”
Trail of Tears Reconciliation Statue to be Dedicated at NSU
Tulsa World
June 9, 2016
TAHLEQUAH — Northeastern State University will host an unveiling ceremony for a donated statue created to inspire reconciliation for suffering Native Americans endured during the Trail of Tears.
The ceremony for the statue, Monument to Forgiveness, will be held at 10:30 a.m. June 20 at the south end of Beta Field on NSU’s Tahlequah campus.
Artist donates ‘Transformation’ statue to NSU
Tahlaquah Daily Press
By: Sheri Gourd
September 4, 2015
A sculpture that left the Northeastern State University Tahlequah campus in 2002 will be returning and placed in its permanent setting in the coming months.
“Transformation Through Forgiveness” is a 15-foot bronze sculpture created by Francis Jansen as “a gesture of encouragement to consider forgiveness.” It is a replica of a marble “Eagle Man” she created out of a elongated piece of marble from a quarry in Italy.
Jansen, who was born in Holland, said she had a vision when she first saw the marble block.
Sculpture moves to Tahlequah
Cheroke One Feather
By: Robert Jmper
Sepember 9, 2015
Click on the image to read the article.
Song in Stone
Santa Barbara Independent
By Francia Gaunt
Sculptor Francis Jansen Ready to Unveil New Work Depicting Harmony in Creation
Sequestered among tall eucalyptus trees in a private corner of La Casa de Maria retreat center, a petite yet determined sculptor, Francis Jansen, has for months been hammering out the most profound sculpture of her career to date.
“These are mythic beings,” Jansen said, referring to three beautiful female forms lifting one of two limestone pillars and a male figure featured centrally in the other. Holding an infant in his arms and adorned with vines laden with seed pods, the latter represents man in rapport with nature, said Jansen. He is joined by a stately bison, coyote, dolphin, raven, and eagle, and is enshrined – in equal measure to his female counterparts – with fecundity and grace.
