Emily Dickinson Sculpture to be Added to Poets’ Garden at WT’s Cornette Library

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — A new sculpture of poet Emily Dickinson will be unveiled during a special event at West Texas A&M University.

The sculpture by Jane DeDecker from Loveland, Colorado, will be revealed during “‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers’: An Evening of Verse and Sculpture” at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 in Cornette Library in the heart of the WT campus in Canyon. The event is free and open to the public.

The Dickinson sculpture will join one of poet Robert Frost in Cornette Library’s Poets’ Garden once remodeling and landscaping work concludes at the north entrance of the library. Both statues were commissioned by the Texas Poets’ Corner Advisory Board.

The Texas Poets’ Corner, which was established in 2003 in WT’s Cornette Library, was bequeathed a $2.8 million estate gift in 2021 by the late Dr. Jenny Lind Porter Scott, a former Texas Poet Laureate and WT assistant professor of English.

“After we purchased the Frost sculpture, the board decided to add a sculpture of an American poet every three years,” said Shawna Kennedy-Witthar, Cornette Library’s director of information and library resources. “Dr. Porter was fond of Emily Dickinson, which played a part in our decision. Jenny Lind donated some books of her poetry and a pen and ink drawing of Emily Dickinson that are part of the Texas Poets’ Corner collections.”

The evening will begin with a 6 p.m. private cocktail reception with DeDecker for members of The Arts at WT: A Subscription Series.

Memberships, which are still available, are only $300 for two or $150 for one. They offer exclusive admission at four special events throughout the year. Subscribers also may reserve tickets to WT Theatre productions and seats for the “Music of the Christmas Season” concert before the general public.

Subscribing to The Arts at WT helps ensure the mission of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities continues by providing funds for four endowed scholarships, for special events and for purchases of essential equipment and supplies.

At the event, DeDecker will deliver a keynote address, and Dr. Pat Tyrer, the Jenny Lind Porter Professor of English, will read the Dickinson poem that gives the event its name. Dr. Marty Kuhlman, the Jenny Lind Porter Professor of History, and Dr. Emily Kinsky, the Jenny Lind Porter Professor of Communication, also will offer remarks, among others.

Cornette Library and the Texas Poets’ Corner help fulfill WT’s desire to provide access to intellectual resources, insight and wisdom, as set out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—