If you see a 13,000-pound bison around Manhattan, don’t panic — it’s the Flint Hills Discovery Center’s newly installed sculpture outside the main entrance.
“Vigilance” by Kansas artist Alan Tollakson features a bison cow and calf pairing carved from solid limestone, and is intended to serve as a lasting symbol of the region, its ecology and the importance of environmental stewardship.
“Public art has a remarkable way of shaping how a community sees itself,” Stephen Bridenstine, Flint Hills Discovery Center Director said in a public statement Tuesday. “It gives people a place to gather, reflect and feel connected to something larger than themselves. ‘Vigilance’ is more than a beautiful sculpture — it is a tribute to the spirit of the Flint Hills, to the importance of preserving our natural heritage, and to the generosity of those who invest in our shared future.”
