Artist: Gary Lee Price
Title: Mark Twain II Bench (Ever the Twain Shall Meet)
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 72"h x 78"w

"As it turns out, my decision to sculpt Samuel Longhorne Clemens as the first in a series of sculptures honoring the ‘greats’ turned out to be the right one. The 'Great Contributors' was an easy title – subject matter, not so easy – as it is so vast.  Sculpting Mr. Twain has delightfully revealed to me as an artist – mankind’s need for the bare facts, but cloaked in the palatability of humor!  Twain inherently understood that principle but had to trod through many professions (printer, river pilot, soldier, miner, reporter, lecturer, editor, etc.) before he could finally capitalize on it.  All of us need to laugh – not only at our circumstances and humanly plight, but more importantly at ourselves. Let us always remember:  'Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.' – Mark Twain" Gary Lee Price

Part of Price's Great Contributor series, this is a bronze sculpture depicting Mark Twain and two children interacting around a bench. Twain is dressed in 19th-century attire, standing behind the bench with one hand resting on the bench and the other on the shoulder of a seated child. The seated child, who is on the left side of the bench, wears a cap and has a relaxed posture with one leg folded and resting on the seat. A second child, a young girl in a dress, stands to the right side of the bench with one hand resting on Twain's hand. The composition and expressions showcase a conversation, capturing a moment of engagement and connection among the three figures, inviting the viewer to join.