The campus site selected for this statue highlights the educational and cultural significance of Lewis and Clark's expedition. As a thriving urban center or students and scholars, the University of Missouri-St. Louis provides a modern meeting point of westward travel and explorations in the 21st century. The statue will be prominently positioned between the campus' new Performing Arts Center and the new Mercantile Library Museums building.

The University is planning a central role in the region's bicentennial celebration. Activities are far reaching - under the Gateway Arch, at a special ceremony, in classrooms throughout St. Louis metropolitan schools, in traveling exhibitions and reading groups aided by its Mercantile Library, and on its campus through the unveiling of this new and fitting work of art.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1943, R. H. Dick has spent a lifetime in painting and sculpture. Though much time is spent in his recently built studio in Kirkwood, he has traveled widely to gather material for his work. An early trip to Taos, New Mexico in 1956 led to a core body of work devoted to the American West. A monograph on the Artists of Santa Fe/Taos - 1960 thru 1985, is in preparation. His work has been published in Southwest Art Magazine, Art of the West, and Missouri Life Magazine. He has exhibited at major national and world shows, among them being the Ward World Championships in Ocean City, Maryland, the Mountain Oyster Club's National Western Art Show in Tucson, Arizona, and the Native American and Wildlife Show in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Lewis and Clark: A Most Perfect Harmony" is an interpretive bronze sculpture of the legendary explorers, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and his servant York, their Shoshone Indian guide, Sacagawea, Pomp, her infant son, and the Newfoundland dog, Seaman. R.H. Dick's timeless artwork
commemorates the 200th Anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803 - 1806). It celebrates the charity and goodness of those encountered along the trail - from early St. Louisans to tribal peoples on the plains and in the mountain passes. It recognizes both courage and human will, reminding viewers of the lives and fates of the diverse members of this historical journey.

Capturing a Nation's Future Dream...

In preparation for the creation of "Lewis and Clark: A Most Perfect Harmony", R. H. Dick traveled the route of Lewis and Clark, studied their journals and visited with Shoshone Indians. Every feature of the sculpture is authentic. The Artist has said, "It is a work that offers a view of American history, an analysis that hopefully teaches insight, because the statue begs the viewer to think about the cultural events that evolved from this journey."

The Committee for the Lewis and Clark Statue is working aggressively to bring this great work to St. Louis and the University of Missouri-St. Louis Campus in time for the upcoming celebration. Your help and support in the grand commemorative venture is essential to its success. Your contribution will link you to the past and the future, and will be prominently noted on the base of the statue - marking your generosity and support in perpetuity.

Modeling is finished, casts are being prepared and work is proceeding to make the unveiling deadline. Funds are needed for each step in the work's creation. Please consider a generous contribution to ensure the statue's place in the cultural and historical landscape of our region.