Artist to unveil ‘War Mother’ statue

Lawrence-based artist Barry Coffin will unveil his “War Mother” memorial sculpture at 2 p.m. Friday at the Cultural Center and Museum at Haskell Indian Nations University.

The sculpture was commissioned by the Haskell Veterans Club and Auxiliary.

“It’s been a real honor for me to create this, considering how I pretty much grew up on the Haskell campus,” said Coffin, a son of longtime Haskell coach and athletic director Tony Coffin, who died in 1966. Haskell’s Coffin Sports Complex is named for Tony Coffin.

Barry Coffin is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., and a Vietnam veteran.

His sculpture depicts an American Indian woman with extended hands clasped in prayer. On each side are eagle feathers attached to medallions representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

The statue honors mothers who have lost sons and daughters in war and mothers who sons and daughters are veterans.