Major Ritual

Major Ritual was purchased in 1979 as the first major acquisition in the Percent For Art Collection, after being viewed at an exhibit in Indianapolis, IN. The sculpture is part of artist Beverly Pepper's noted "Earthbound Sculpture" series of works "seemingly born in or rising up from the earth", a concept she explored in the 1970s and 80s. Pepper created numerous major public and private commissions over a 60 year career in which she became one of the first prominent female artists in the realm of public sculpture, and one of the first artists to prominently use cor-ten steel, which is noted for its distinct characteristic of forming a stable layer of external rust.