This statue of a proud, your, pioneer couple is a symbol of the spirit and soul of the people who made the Land Run of the Cherokee Outlet in 1893. Together with the tools of indomitable faith, boundless courage and visions of hope, they set out to build their lives from a claim of land.

The stalwart young man is the patriarch of future Oklahomans of his kind. He planted the "seeds of wisdom, strength and morality" and his harvest has been mighty.

The graceful young woman is the symbolic mother of us all, and her nurturing heart brought beauty, culture, and gift to an untamed prairie which spelled "Home."

These are yesterday's pioneers, whose proud heritage has meaning on today's frontiers. They remind us of the spirit of renewal and adventure that is the core of our national heritage.

About the Author:

Bernadette Carman

Bernadette Carman, well known figurative sculptor, is a 1942 Newkirk High School graduate. After high school, Carman graduated from St. Joseph School of Nursing in Ponca City and worked many years as a registered nurse. Then when she was 64 years of age she met an elderly woman, who introduced her to sculpture, hence the beginning of a well received career' as a self taught artist.. Since then, she has produced art for most of the U.S. and Europe, with pieces in museums, libraries and civis displays, as well as private collections.

Carman, a renowned sculptor, is a creator of "people" with her portraiture in multi-media, but primarily in various clays which are fired and ultimately cast in bronze limited editions.

Carman's sculpture truly conveys a unique "moment of truth" when the emotion of the piece touches the viewer. Her work varies from busts to full figures in both miniatures and life size.

Carman lives in Pearland, Texas, near Houston. She is a member of the Houston Art League, Art League of Galveston, and the Hill Country Art League of Ingram, Texas. She has shown her work at several galleries in southeast Texas and Oklahoma as well as in the Sam Houston memorial Museum in Huntville, Texas. She has also executed several private commissions.

Carman also often goes into the public schools and presents art lessons free of charge to the students as an artist-in-residence.

This gifted, talented woman has given Newkirk and Kay County a unique and priceless gift to celebrate our pioneer heritage and centennial. As a result of her contribution and lifetime accomplishments, she was chosen as a 1993 member of the Newkirk High School Hall of Fame.

Her larger than life bronze creation, "Land Of Hope" was dedicated on Saturday, September 17, 1994, one year and one day after the 100th Anniversary of the Opening of the Cherokee Outlet. The monument stands on a grassy knoll in front of the Kay County Courthouse in downtown Newkirk.