'Sodbuster' sculpture set in Fargo Civic Plaza

092619.N.FF.SODBUSTER — The iconic "Sodbuster" sculpture was secured to its new home outside the Fargo Public Library and Fargo Civic Plaza on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Crews are seen working on the plaza redesign at the base of the sculpture and in the background as Moorhead's iconic Hjemkomst Center peaks through the trees. Kim Hyatt/The Forum

By Kim Hyatt

September 25, 2019 at 3:41 PM

FARGO — Life imitates art.

As construction workers stayed busy Wednesday, Sept. 25, outside the Fargo Civic Center working on the plaza redesign , they were driving skid-steers around the "Sodbuster" sculpture that shows a hardworking farmer leading a pair of oxen through the field.

That afternoon, crews used a large crane to place the 1,300-pound fiberglass sculpture at the site near Fargo Public Library. It's mounted on a 42-inch-high foundation that will soon be surrounded by lighting and landscaping.

When oxen fly:#Sodbuster @fargolibrary pic.twitter.com/aj53Rv21b9
— beth postema (@bepostema) September 25, 2019

The 40-year-old sculpture was previously displayed on the corner of Main Avenue and Broadway for many years beginning in 1982. The City of Fargo gave the artwork to the Plains Art Museum in 1991, where it was in storage for 13 years.

Welcome back, Sodbuster! After 3+ years of restoration, Sodbuster: San Isidro by Luis Jiménez is back in Fargo. Now installed in its new home on the City Hall Plaza. Stay tuned for a public reception happening on October 18. #publicart #sodbuster pic.twitter.com/yyfyqlDnji
— Plains Art Museum (@PlainsArtMuseum) September 25, 2019

In 2015 , the sculpture was shipped to Ohio for restoration with plans to return to the civic plaza.

There are six other "Sodbuster" sculptures created by the late artist Luis Jiminez, who was commissioned by Fargo Parking Authority to create the artwork in 1979.

The Plains Art Museum said there will be a public reception commemorating the sculpture on Friday, Oct. 18.

1/5: The "Sodbuster" sculpture by artist Luis Jimenez was refurbished with the help of a grant. Plans call for the sculpture to be installed in Fargo's Civic Plaza. Forum file photo

2/5: The "Sodbuster" sculpture by artist Luis Jimenez was refurbished with the help of a grant. Plans call for the sculpture to be installed in Fargo's Civic Plaza. Forum file photo

3/5: The Sodbuster sculpture by artist Luis Jimenez is housed at the Plains Art Museum and will be transported to the McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory in Oberlin, Ohio for renovation. David Samson / The Forum

4/5: The Sodbuster sculpture by artist Luis Jimenez is housed at the Plains Art Museum and will be transported to the McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory in Oberlin, Ohio for renovation. David Samson / The Forum

5/5: The "Sodbuster" sculpture by artist Luis Jimenez was housed for 13 years at the Plains Art Museum before it was transported to the McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory in Oberlin, Ohio, for renovation. Forum file photo

By Kim Hyatt

Kim Hyatt is a reporter for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead covering community issues and other topics. She previously worked for the Owatonna People's Press where she received the Minnesota Newspaper Association's Dave Pyle New Journalist Award in 2016. Later that year, she joined The Forum as a night reporter and is now part of the investigative team. She's a 2014 graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth.