Standing TALL

In 1792, Congress adopted the bald eagle as the symbol of the United States for its majestic beauty, strength and long life.

- JOHN O'HERN

The selection of a symbol had gone through three committees; the first was set up in 1776 and had been composed of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.

The eagle is sacred to many Native American tribes who use the feathers in religious and cultural ceremonies. Despite their majesty, their association with the power of the country and their importance to Native peoples, farmers and ranchers thought they were like vermin and had nearly eradicated them by the end of the 19th century. The invention of DDT and its widespread use on crops cut their numbers even more. The passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and the banning of DDT allowed them to begin to rebound.

Sculptor Star Liana York discovered her model for Maximus at the New Mexico Wildlife Center in Espanola, not far from her studio. “Maxwell” had been brought to the center in 1991 with a gunshot wound to his right wing and foot, which resulted in a partial wing and toe amputation. York says, “I donned him ‘Maximus,’ and in this sculpture, gave him back the appendages he lost.”

York moved to the Southwest in 1985, having been brought up and gone to school on the East Coast. “I was drawn to come to the Southwest,” she says, “to become part of this rich cultural community which provides me with endless sources of inspiration and subject matter.” Inspired by the Native peoples of the region she is also deeply attached to its wildlife.