Influence
The art colony influenced and contributed to area culture, in part due to the requirements of their lease. Two of the charter members of the art colony were Chicago architects, Allen and Irving Pond, who designed the Oregon Public Library, a Carnegie library building, heavily influenced by the presence of the art colony. It was the Ponds' association with the Eagle's Nest Art Colony that led them to design the library. Even before the library was built, members of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony were pushing for the new building to include a second-story art gallery. The building was constructed after an Andrew Carnegie grant approval, and its first use came in October 1908 by Leon A. Malkielski, a colony member, for an exhibition of 100 paintings. The library proper did not begin providing its services until 1909. Hamlin Garland, a 1921 Pulitzer Prize recipient for literature, spoke at the Oregon library while he was a member of the Eagle's Nest Colony. The second floor art gallery on the second floor of the library building was not formally dedicated until July 4, 1918. This marked the beginning of the library's permanent collection, which started with additions from members of the Eagle's Nest Colony.
Taft is responsible for several works of sculpture within the nearby city of Oregon, and a number of pieces within the library art gallery are credited to members and associates of the art colony. The Soldiers' Monument is a Taft created sculpture that stands on the public square of the Old Ogle County Courthouse in Oregon. Taft's oversized Classical female figure stands with her arms outstretched, clutching laurel wreaths. Behind her is an exedra which was designed by colony members and architects Pond and Pond. The exedra extends around the installation and to either side of the female sculpture are built in benches. Above the benches are bronze plaques honoring veterans of the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, above the individual war plaques is bronze plating that reads, "Ogle County Honors Her Sons." Flanking the dominant sculpture are two soldiers atop pedestals, one facing north and the other facing south.
The Fish Boys', or Dolphin Fountain, is another Taft work located in Oregon. The fountain consists of two boys kneeling on the edge of a pool of water, each holding a large fish. Water from the mouths of the fish pours into the shallow pool. The figures were originally cast in bronze and designed as part of the Fountain of the Great Lakes in Chicago. The Oregon Fish Boys are a blend of concrete, quartz and pebbles from the Potomac River. The fountain is located in Oregon's Mix Park.
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