Client: Mingenback Foundation
Location: McPherson, KS, United States
Completion date: 2020
Project Team
Designer and sculptor
Sutton Betti Sculptures
Granite designer
Earl Boston
Overview
A sculpture honoring the first basketball team to win the Olympic Gold medal was dedicated on October 5, 2020 in McPherson, Kansas. The 10 ton sculpture consists of an 11 foot wide curved bronze relief, laser etched black granite walls and benches that pay tribute to the 1936 Globe Refiners who dominated American basketball from a small town in central Kansas. The Globe Refiners made up half of the USA Olympic basketball team in 1936.
Goals
To honor the first basketball team to win an Olympic Gold medal with a large scale bronze sculpture for their home town.
Process
There were six businesses from five states involved in the creation of the Globe Refiners monument. The project took a full year from idea to installation. I worked closely with the foundation and the city to create the monument. My team included an engineer, an architect, two granite companies, a pre-cast concrete company, a bronze foundry and various independent craftsmen/women in Loveland, Colorado.