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UID:f5f73829-0de7-4b39-9e79-4fca3c10425f@www.lectures.iastate.edu
DTSTAMP:20250827T104610Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250911T163444Z
DTSTART:20251014T230000Z
DTEND:20251014T230000Z
SUMMARY:Torture and Transcendence: Monument to the Unknown Political Prison
 er
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Lea Rosson DeLong analyzes Christian Petersen’s entry for
  a 1952 Cold War sculpture competition\, examining its rejection and signi
 ficance within the era’s cultural politics\, aesthetics\, and human righ
 ts discourse.\n\nLea Rosson DeLong is an art historian\, curator\, and edi
 tor specializing in American art of the 1930s and contemporary art. Born i
 n Louisiana\, she was raised in Oklahoma and Nashville\, Tennessee\, and n
 ow lives in Des Moines\, Iowa. She earned her BA from the University of Ok
 lahoma and her MA and PhD from the University of Kansas. She has taught at
  Drake University and Iowa State University and served on the curatorial s
 taff of the Des Moines Art Center.\n\nIn 1952\, during the cultural front 
 of the Cold War\, an international sculpture competition invited artists t
 o create a monument under the theme "The Unknown Political Prisoner." Amon
 g the thousands of entries from all over the world was a surprising entry 
 by Christian Petersen\, the Danish-born artist-in-residence at Iowa State 
 College\, who throughout his career rarely entered competitions. His decis
 ion to enter—and the nature of his sculptural response—offers a compel
 ling glimpse into the intersection of aesthetics\, politics\, and personal
  conviction during a charged historical moment.\n\nThis lecture\, presente
 d by art historian Dr. Lea Rosson DeLong\, analyzes Petersen’s sculpted 
 entry\, explores the reasons it was rejected\, and compares it to the winn
 ing design. Petersen’s interpretation was unusual for its time\, emphasi
 zing the physical impact of torture while also reflecting on the role of t
 he human spirit in the context of human rights abuse. Although his Monumen
 t to the Unknown Political Prisoner was rejected\, this lecture proposes r
 enewed consideration today and explores Petersen’s little-known submissi
 on within the broader framework of this Cold War competition.\n\nNote: Thi
 s lecture will not be recorded.
LOCATION: 2019 Morrill Hall
URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.lectures.iastate.edu/event/torture-and-transcende
 nce-monument-unknown-political-prisoner
IMAGE;VALUE=URI:https://www.lectures.iastate.edu/files/styles/width_limit/p
 ublic/images/2025-09/Lea%20Delong%20Lecture-1.png?itok=v9QtG8vY
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