The Purpose of the Bicentennial

The purpose of the Bicentennial was to celebrate the 200th Birthday of the United States. To this end, the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA) was created. ARBA developed three themes for the Bicentennial:

Heritage
which emphasized the 200 years of history that have formed this country;
Festival
which emphasized the celebration surrounding July 4, 1976;
Horizons
which focused on the third century of the United States.

It was in the spirit of the horizons theme that the Nebraska Interstate-80 Bicentennial Sculpture Project was instituted in 1973.

The Purpose of the Bicentennial Sculpture Project

The Purpose of the Bicentennial Sculpture Project is to celebrate the nation's Bicentennial by:

  1. Providing Nebraskans, and visitors to the state, access to some of the best sculpture of our time outside of museum walls.
  2. Providing Nebraskans, through the artist-in-residence program, the unique opportunity of meeting the sculptors, seeing some of the work involved and learning more about sculpture.
  3. Contributing to Nebraska's cultural heritage through the installation of ten original contemporary sculptures.