Bust of Robert D. Orr

Robert D. Orr is a public artwork by American artist Jon Ingle which is located on the Indiana State House: Fourth Floor Rotunda, which is near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America. The bust is a bronze political sculpture of Robert D. Orr, the 45th Governor of Indiana. Created in 1987, the bust was a gift by the Rotary International chapter of Evansville, Indiana. The bust measures 30 x 21 x 15 in.; 76.2 x 53.34 x 38.1 cm.

Robert D. Orr
ArtistJon Ingle
Year1987 (1987)
TypeBronze, political sculpture
Dimensions76.2 cm × 38.1 cm × 53.34 cm (30 in × 15 in × 21 in)
LocationIndiana State House, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Coordinates39.768611°N 86.1625°W / 39.768611; -86.1625
OwnerState of Indiana

Description

The bronze bust is a 1.5 scale[1] portrait of Robert D. Orr from the mid-chest and above. The bust is made of bronze with a wax patina and was cast with the Lost-wax casting method. Orr is looking forward smiling. The bust contains great detail in the face which includes wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. He is dressed in a collared shirt, tie, and blazer. There is a defined pin on his proper left lapel which represents the Rotary International club. He has a slightly receding hairline with hair parted on the right.[2] The edges of the shoulders seem to be unfinished. They appear to have a bumpy display and is not congruent to the smooth, sharp edges of the tie and blazer. There is a Foundry mark on the proper right, back of the bust.[2] On the proper front right lapel is the artist's signature (Jon Ingle) and the date 1987.

Directly beneath the bust is the base which reads "Robert D. Orr Governor 1981-1989". The bust measures 30 x 21 x 15 in.; 76.2 x 53.34 x 38.1 cm.

Below the sculpture, attached to the wall, is a plaque that gives the dedication information of the bust.
The plaque reads:

ROBERT D. ORR
Governor
State of Indiana
1981-1989
Presented by the Rotary Club of
Evansville to the State of Indiana
Jon Ingle, Sculptor

Historical information

The cast-bronze bust was commissioned by the Rotary of Evansville. Evansville was Governor Orr's hometown and he was an active member of the Rotary of Evansville before his first election in 1979.[1] The bust was sculpted by Jon Ingle for $6,000.[3] The artist of the bust was Jonathan (Jon) Ingle from Evansville, Indiana. Ingle has completed previous bronze busts including Don Powers,[4] Purdue University's first band director Paul Spotts Emrick,[5] and other Indiana figures.

The Governor Robert Orr and the Artist Jon Ingle grew up together in Evansville and were lifelong friends. The governor came to Evansville to sit for Mr. Ingle on 2 occasions in 1987. Prior to the sittings, Mr. Ingle had the Governor sit for formal head portraits taken by a professional photographer. Molding the sculpture to Mr. Ingle 3 months, working 4–5 hours each day, including weekends. The finished mold was sent to a foundry in Lancaster, Pa. This process of turning the mold in the finished bust took about two months. The bust was presented to the Governor in 1988 at a ceremony at the Indianapolis Athletic Club. Two busts were prepared, one is now in the Rotunda of the Indiana State Capitol Building, and the second copy is displayed in the lobby of the Orr Academic Building at the University of Southern Indiana.[6]

Location history

Prior to January 5, 1989, the bust was on available for public viewing at the University of Southern Indiana. The bust replaced a previous bust of Governor Otis Bowen (Lanagan)[7] who was the 44th governor of Indiana. The bust is currently located at the Indiana Statehouse on the 3rd floor rotunda directly across the Senate Chambers.

References
  1. Rotary International (December 1989), "A native son is honored", The Rotarian, p. 41, archived from the original on 2010-03-06
  2. Indiana State Museum, Robert D. Orr, ID 99.2006.020.0075, 25 Sept. 2006, Retrieved from Indiana State Museum Mimsy Database 4 Dec. 2010.
  3. Star, Indy (January 6, 1989), "Statehouse or Bust", Indy Star
  4. Catania, Ric, Connecting Communities in Northwest Indiana, archived from the original on 4 October 2011, retrieved 20 November 2010
  5. Walter, Clare (20 November 2010), "Police recover stolen bust of band director", The Exponent Online, Lafayette, Indiana, archived from the original on 2003-03-12
  6. Ingle, Jon (2010-12-06), Rotary Club of Evansville, interviewed by Lukens, Harry, Evansville, Indiana{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. Star, Indy (January 6, 1989), "Statehouse or Bust", Indy Star
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