On this date in 2002, the “Sodbuster” sculpture was removed from downtown Fargo due to weather damage and deterioration, with no current plan or funding for its restoration or relocation.
Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:
Weather, trains take toll on ‘Sodbuster’
By John Lamb
It was a moment Todd Smith had waited for all morning.
The president of the Plains Art Museum had wondered how long it would take someone to stop and ask why a work crew was hoisting the “Sodbuster” sculpture onto a trailer early yesterday.
The Luis Jiménez landmark, depicting a burly, determined farmer working a team of oxen to plow a field, had stood like a sentry on the corners of Main Avenue and Broadway for 20 years. However, wear from the weather had taken its toll, and the sun had faded parts from its painted gray to a purplish hue.
“Are you with the museum?” Dan Murphy of Moorhead asked. “I think that thing is beautiful,” he added, as the sculpture was lifted into the air above the long prairie grass which had surrounded it.
The undertaking was handled by Plains staffers and Methods & Materials of Chicago, which specializes in moving large pieces of art.
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The museum recently commissioned a Minneapolis conservator to assess the condition of the sculpture. The study revealed exposure to the area’s extreme elements and proximity to the railroad tracks had not only caused the paint to fade and crack, but also to wear away in some areas to reveal the fiberglass form underneath.
Smith would not divulge where “Sodbuster” was being relocated, but joked that it was an “undisclosed location near Dick Cheney.” He did suggest one possibility was to send the sculpture back to the artist’s New Mexico studio, where Jiménez could oversee restoration.
For now, there are no funds set aside for the refurbishing or plans for where the 24-foot-long, 1,300-pound sculpture might be displayed when the project is completed.
Preliminary sketches for downtown’s renovation didn’t include the work of art.
“We’ve had several interested parties contact us, but for us, it’s a matter of finding money to restore it,” Smith said.
Fargo’s “Sodbuster” was the first of five models that found homes in Albuquerque, N.M., Buffalo, N.Y., Sacramento, Calif., and Oklahoma City. Smith said the deterioration of the Fargo “Sodbuster” can partially be attributed to Jiménez’s experimentation with fiberglass and acrylic urethane paint.
Jiménez was selected by a panel consisting of three representatives each from the National Endowment of the Arts and the city of Fargo in 1977. The Fargo Parking Authority received a $20,000 matching grant from the NEA as part of the “Art in Public Places Program.”
The city donated the sculpture to the Plains Art Museum in 1992 with the agreement the city would cover any moving expenses and the museum would cover maintenance and upkeep.
Nancy Brenk said she’ll miss the piece. She watched the workers while cleaning the front door of Wimmer’s Jewelry across Main Avenue and said that through the years she’s seen people have their picture taken in front of the sculpture.
“I’ve seen pictures of what it’s going to look like there, so I know it’s going to look nice,” she said. “Hopefully when they find a place, people find it and keep enjoying it.”
Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.