A piece of Louisiana folk art history is making its way to Edmond. An eight-foot-tall Blue Dog sculpture by the late artist George Rodrigue, titled Together We Stand, is set to become part of the growing collection at Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park, and Rodrigue's widow traveled to Oklahoma to introduce it herself.
According to News 9, Wendy Rodrigue Magnus visited Edmond to share her late husband's story and introduce the sculpture, which is described as one of six original Blue Dog sculptures George Rodrigue ever created. The piece will join the collection at Uncommon Ground, a 62-acre park under construction near Second Street and Coltrane Road, which News 9 reports is located near the corner of those two Edmond streets.
Before the sculpture's arrival, Magnus made a stop that had nothing to do with ribbon-cutting ceremonies or fundraising goals. She spoke to third graders at Chisholm Elementary School in Edmond about George Rodrigue's life, his artistic journey, and the challenges he overcame, per the station's report. Chisholm Elementary teachers said students were captivated by her presentation, the outlet noted.
A Painter Who Overcame Polio and Cancer
George Rodrigue, who created the Blue Dog sculpture series that made him internationally known, overcame both polio and cancer before his death, according to the same account. Magnus quoted her husband as once saying, “In art, the more personal you are, the better you become,” a philosophy she has carried forward since his passing.
Magnus said visiting with children has helped her recover from depression following her husband's death, and that sharing his artwork and personal experiences has become her life's mission, the station reported. She expressed appreciation for the opportunity to bring her husband's work to Oklahoma, calling the Blue Dog's new home a meaningful extension of that mission.
The Blue Dog itself is known for its distinctive appearance and mysterious eyes, a trait Magnus hopes will connect with visitors long after she's gone. “I hope that when people see this sculpture, they personally will engage with it and they will see the mystery within the dog's eyes,” she said, per the same report.
From Cocktail Napkins to Three Dimensions
The Blue Dog's journey into sculpture form began decades ago in a far less formal setting. According to the George Rodrigue Life & Legacy Foundation, Rodrigue developed the design for a three-sided Blue Dog sculpture in 2003 by playing absentmindedly with cocktail napkins one night. Turning the flat, two-dimensional Blue Dog into a three-dimensional object proved difficult, since, as George Rodrigue Studios explains, the Blue Dog had only ever existed in two dimensions for the artist.
That early design eventually led to We Stand Together, a three-sided Blue Dog sculpture Rodrigue completed in 2005 that now resides under the oaks at the New Orleans Museum of Art, per George Rodrigue Studios. Two years later, Rodrigue built another eight-foot Blue Dog piece covered in automotive flip-flop paint that shifts color as viewers move around it and the daylight changes, the foundation notes. He went on to create Colors of My Mind in 2008, which became a permanent installation along Florida's Highway 30A, according to George Rodrigue Studios.
The foundation, which Magnus established in 2017 in honor of her husband, also notes that an eight-foot Blue Dog sculpture is currently installed on historic Route 66 and is scheduled to move to Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park in 2027.
Building Oklahoma's First Large-Scale Sculpture Park
Uncommon Ground is undergoing construction, with several sculptures already being installed ahead of its opening, which News 9 has reported for fall 2027. The timeline has shifted across coverage: NonDoc has reported the park will be free and open to the public starting in spring 2027, while the Journal Record has described the park as preparing for a planned November 2027 opening.
The collection's eventual size is similarly unsettled between sources. News 9 has reported the park is opening with 70 sculptures by international, national and locally acclaimed sculptors, while the Journal Record previously reported the park would open with about 60 sculptures featuring local and nationally known artists. Separately, Uncommon Ground's own website states that more than 60 art pieces have already been purchased for the park, with plans for many more to come.
The park's collection features unique and diverse sculptures and installations immersed throughout its natural setting, according to Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park, and the group says the collection was made possible through private donors and the Edmond Visual Arts Commission. Among the newer additions are three works by internationally recognized sculptor Zenos Frudakis — Freedom, Gateway and Reaching — with the Journal Record describing Gateway as a stainless steel human figure more than 40 feet tall and Reaching as a 1987 bronze piece featuring two seven-foot figures.
The project carries an estimated price tag of $62 million, per News 9, which also reported the effort is about 87% of the way to its fundraising goal while continuing to seek donations and volunteers. NonDoc has reported separately that the park's nonprofit operator needs to raise and endow about $22 million to fund operating expenses under its agreement with the city.
