Sculpture by Cambridge artist chosen for exhibition honoring ‘Canteen ladies’

Sondra L. Jonson’s life-size bronze sculpture, “Our Canteen Lady,” was modeled after the woman who started the North Platte canteen. Courtesy

NORFOLK, Neb. — — A life-size bronze by Cambridge artist Sondra L. Jonson, “Our Canteen Lady,” is one of nine sculptures chosen for the inaugural Sculpture Walk, a year-long exhibit in Norfolk, Neb.

Jonson’s sculpture honors the hundreds of women who met all troop trains going through North Platte during World War II and served them homemade treats and fruit, candy, magazines and more.

The sculpture was modeled after Rae Wilson, the young women who started the North Platte Canteen by writing about her idea in a letter to the newspaper saying, “Let’s do this for our boys!” By the end of the war, the Canteen ladies had served over six million members of the U.S. military.

The City of Norfolk is excited to launch its first “Sculpture Walk” exhibit, featuring sculptures from artists in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado and South Dakota. The sculptures were installed in May and will be on display throughout the city until May 2020. Jonson’s sculpture of the Canteen Lady was originally created for the American Veterans Memorial in North Platte.

A second casting of the sculpture is a permanent installation at the Prairie Arts Center in North Platte. The Norfolk casting has travelled to outdoor shows in South Dakota, Kansas and Utah.

“The spirit of the Canteen Lady,” Jonson said, “seems to make her popular wherever she is displayed. Everyone can relate to her story!”