Haskell Indian Nations University’s prized sculpture “Comrade in Mourning” is on its way to Washington, D.C., where it’s expected to anchor a key exhibit during the grand opening of the Smithsonian Institution’s new National Museum of the American Indian.

“We are going to miss having it here on campus,” said Haskell spokeswoman Lori Tapahonso, “but we are very honored to have it be part of the grand opening.”

The museum opens Sept. 15.

A Smithsonian-hired crew has been in Lawrence since Monday, getting the 6-foot-tall, white marble statue ready for shipment.

“It’s been really smooth. No problems,” said Rod Northcutt, a rigger with Methods and Materials, a Chicago-based company that specializes in transporting large works of art.

He said the statue weighed about 3,500 pounds.

Commissioned by the Haskell Alumni Assn. in 1947 as a memorial to Haskell students killed during World War II, “Comrade in Mourning” is Allan Houser’s first large-scale public sculpture.

Houser, a Chiricahua Apache, went on to become one of the nation’s best-known American Indian artists. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1992. Houser, who did not attend Haskell, died in 1994.

A 160-piece exhibit of Houser’s works will be on display at the national museum until Sept. 15, 2005.

The Smithsonian hired Paul Benson, a curator at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., to inspect and clean “Comrade in Mourning.”

“It’s in excellent condition. No chips, no cracks, nothing,” Benson said. “It’s a beautiful piece.”

6News video: ‘Comrade in Mourning’ headed to D.C. Haskell to loan statue for Smithsonian exhibit (3-17-04)

The statue depicts an American Indian man standing with his eyes focused straight ahead. A plain shawl covers all but his neck and face. An upside-down feathered headdress lies at his feet.

Plans call for the sculpture to be returned to Haskell in October 2005.

Roger Machin wraps Comrade