photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Lawrence crop artist Stan Herd, center, is joined by former U.S. Senators Trent Lott, left, and Tom Daschle, right, at the Dole Institute of Politics on KU's West Campus on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The trio was there to announce plans for a new earthwork portrait of Bob Dole, pictured at right.

One hundred years after his birth, the smiling face of former U.S. Sen Bob Dole will be a fixture on the West Campus of the University of Kansas — and perhaps a summer and fall tourist attraction too.

The Dole Institute of Politics on Tuesday announced it has commissioned Lawrence resident and international artist Stan Herd to construct a more than 60-foot-wide earthwork portrait of the Kansas politician and former presidential candidate who would have turned 100 years old in July.

The portrait — made of vegetation and landscape materials — will be constructed in a low, grassy area immediately east of the institute’s building at 2350 Petefish Drive.

“It is customary with a 100th birthday or a dedication to commission an art piece, and we were thinking what could that be,” Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman said of how the idea for the art piece began to develop last year. “The idea was to make it something architectural in scale and something that would bring people to the actual institute. What could you do here that you couldn’t do anywhere else?”

Having perhaps the most renowned crop artist in the world living in your community made the idea of an earthwork portrait particularly feasible. Herd has received international attention for his often very large crop art creations, ranging from portraits of world leaders to historical figures to country music stars and many other creations, but he’s been a longtime resident of Lawrence.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A rendering of a planned earthwork portrait of Bob Dole was on display at the Dole Institute of Politics on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

Unlike most of his works, onlookers won’t need to be in an airplane or otherwise far above the artwork. Instead, this piece will be small enough that visitors will be able to view the art from a high spot along the edge of the institute’s grounds.

Coleman said the piece is expected to be completed in time for a dedication on what would have been Dole’s 100th birthday on July 22. The artwork, since it will be made of vegetation, will be temporary in nature. Coleman estimated it will be in place through October.

“You will want to see it while you can,” Coleman said, while adding that the work will be permanently documented with photos, and that the community will be invited to watch Herd create the work on special work days, too.

“We hope it will drive people through Lawrence and to the Dole Institute all season long,” Coleman said.

In addition to commemorating the 100th anniversary of Dole’s birth, the piece also is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Dole Institute of Politics. The center is planning to have several special events throughout the season. Tuesday’s announcement ceremony for the artwork featured former U.S. Senators Trent Lott and Tom Daschle, who both were colleagues of Dole and who were in Lawrence to deliver the annual Dole Lecture on Tuesday evening.

“I have to say it was appropriate that this portrait will be in the earth of Kansas,” Lott said. “Bob Dole was the earth and the soul of Kansas, a great American and great leader.”

Daschle said it was a particularly important time to honor the ideas and beliefs of Dole — a Republican who served 11 years as either the U.S. Senate majority or minority leader during his legislative career that concluded in 1996 when he became the GOP presidential nominee.

“Bob Dole was the first person to teach me that compromise is the oxygen of democracy,” Daschle said. “Bob understood that and through his leadership, through his example, through his commitment to democracy, he understood the importance of bipartisanship.”

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, left, speaks with Lawrence crop artist Stan Herd at the Dole Institute of Politics on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

Herd said he was excited about the project, in part, because Herd’s father and Dole both served in World War II. While they didn’t serve together, Herd said the war clearly shaped both men.

“We grew up talking about World War II and Senator Dole and how we rose from it,” Herd said. “The idea of working with a native son who went out into the world and turned it a little bit to the good was something I jumped at rather quickly.”

Herd said he hopes to start work on the project soon, and already is starting to formulate the process. An early step was finding a portrait of Dole to work from. That was easy, but what wasn’t was finding one that didn’t include Dole’s trademark smile. In fact, Herd didn’t find one, and the smile will be a prominent feature of the work.

Why did Herd even consider doing one without a smile? Well, apparently making teeth out of a set of plants or other landscape material isn’t a lot of fun.

“The hardest thing is the smile,” Herd said. “It is just hard to do the teeth, but I think it will work out pretty good.”

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Flags in the grass show where a planned earthwork portrait of Bob Dole will be constructed on KU’s West Campus.