Mbera
About the Sculpture
Mbera was donated to the city by the Marc LeBaron family in the early 2000s and was placed in Woods Park. The sculpture was relocated in 2012 to the roundabout at 33rd and Sheridan Blvd. to make it more visible to the public eye. It was the first sculpture to be installed in a roundabout in Lincoln. It was at this intersection where Mbera was felled by a drunk driver in May 2016, but was quickly reconstructed by Les Bruning who worked with Catherine Ferguson, and returned to its location in the center of the roundabout.
Lynn Johnson, a previous director of Lincoln Parks and Recreation said that it is his understanding that the design of the sculpture, was inspired by the theme of mother and motherhood. The figure could represent a mother, with shoulders and a neck sitting atop her torso which contains the bump of a baby, as well as a hole representing the the womb.
About the Artist
Catherine Ferguson
Catherine Ferguson’s work is featured in public and private collections across the region, including at major Nebraska museums such as the Sheldon Memorial Art Museum in Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Museum of Nebraska Art and the Landmarks building. She served six years as a board member for the Nebraska Arts Council and currently sits on the board for the Bemis Center for Contemporary’s Arts.
Leslie Bruning
Bruning was born in Syracuse, KS though he was raised in Nebraska. He studied at Nebraska Wesleyan University, earning a BA degree in 1970. He also studied at Graz Center in Austria and earned an MFA degree from Syracuse University in 1972. He is a founder and partner in the Hot Shops Art Center as well as owning Bruning Sculpture.
Additional Information
33rd & Sheridan
Length: 6 ft.
Width: 6 ft.
Height: 12 ft.
Location
33rd & Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln 68506 View Map
40.780226, -96.672849
33rd & Sheridan Blvd. ,
Lincoln 68506
33rd & Sheridan Blvd. ,
Lincoln 68506
Mbera