“If I have achieved my goal as a sculptor, the viewer will feel an emotional attachment and never tire of seeing the piece.”
Life and Study
Martha Pettigrew was born in 1950 in Nebraska where she was raised. She graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Pettigrew became a scientific illustrator at the Nebraska State Museum. In 1978 she married Delmar Pettigrew and they began a business raising thoroughbred horses. Twelve years later, Pettigrew reemerged as a sculptor, studying in Colorado with Fritz White as well as delving into the lives and works of famous sculptors through reading and study.
Martha Pettigrew’s work often depicts Plains Native Americans as well as animals where she has a unique perspective on creating horse sculptures from her time raising thoroughbreds.
Work and Process
Martha Pettigrew is primarily a bronze sculptor, often creating life-size or even larger than life pieces. She has established herself as one of the foremost Western contemporary sculptors. Pettigrew takes much inspiration from the Native people in the Southern United States and she finds their everyday lives to be the perfect subject for her work.
Martha Pettigrew has won several awards for her work from various shows and museums such as; Best of Show (Western Spirit Art Show), the George Phippen Memorial Foundation Award (Phippen Western Art Show), and the Silver Medal at Knickerbocker Artists in New York, among many other prestigious accomplishments.
Martha Pettigrew’s Work Today
Martha Pettigrew’s work can be seen scattered across the country, in sculpture gardens, in front of businesses and hospitals, as well as the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, Nebraska.
You can view some of Martha Pettigrew’s original work right here in Santa Fe at the End of the Trail Gallery!
Call or come by the gallery for more details!
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