Strength of the Maker

By Bruce Gueswel, Installed 2024

Strength of the Maker

“Strength of the Maker’ right from its title to the strength shown even in the toes is a statement of how I view my very inner belief. Nature and all things natural have always been of the utmost importance to me all my life. Believing in a God, the Great Spirit, Buddha Mohammed, the Mysterious One, and other beings of greatness is important. I feel they all exude the same message: a life of oneness, love, honesty, and a source of emotional strength. ‘Strength of the Maker’ is my visual version of how I see my Maker.”

Denny Haskew’s Strength of the Maker is the winner of 5 Best of Show Awards. Other prominent placements of the edition include the National Museum of the American Indian – Smithsonian Institution in DC; the Gilcrease Museum, OK; the Barona Band of Mission Indians, CA; and the Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum, Bastina, VA; Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX; District Courthouse, Flagstaff, AZ; City of Grand Junction, CO; Canyon City, CO and private collections throughout the U.S.

Danny Haskew, a member of the Potawatomi citizen nation, is know for creating art the reflects the Native American and Southwestern culture. His work has be described as intensely personal and honest, reflecting recurring themes of spirit, love, forgiveness, healing, endurance, and strength.

Haskew recall visiting the inaugural Sculpture in the Park Show and Sale in 1984. “My mom know that I was messing around with wood carving and stuff, and so I came, and I saw sculpture for the first time with that show,” he said. “It is a light-bulb going off in your head. This is what I should do, and I stayed. I never went back.”

Undeterred by his lack of formal training, Haskew dedicated a year to apprenticeship His determination paid off when he entered five pieces in the Next Sculpture in the Park Show and Sale, using the earnings to expand his portfolio further. Denny is a charter member of the National Sculptors’ Guild.

The installation of his “Strength of the Maker” on the grounds of Benson Sculpture Garden honors the beginning of his career and a life of oneness, love, honestly, and emotional strength.