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Dora Natella, beloved IU South Bend fine arts professor emeritus and renowned sculptor, tragically passed away in April 2023.
“All of us in the Indiana University South Bend community are heartbroken by the passing of Dora Natella and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends,” IU South Bend Chancellor Susan Elrod said. “Her creativity and talent inspired not only the students she taught, but the entire campus community who admire her art. We will forever be grateful for her contributions to IUSB and the art world.”
Dora Natella was raised and educated in Italy, studying sculpture in the classical tradition at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples. Upon graduation, she moved to the U.S. for advanced studies in bronze casting techniques and the opportunity to immerse herself in a new culture with fewer direct connections to a classical past. She went on to earn an MFA in sculpture at Western Michigan University and taught sculpture at IU Bloomington and the University of Oregon. At IU South Bend, she continued a practice that included both her own creative work and her teaching as part of the faculty in the Fine Arts Department of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts.
Over the years, Natella taught hundreds of students and shared her gifts with the world via exhibits and specially commissioned works. On June 7, 2021, IU commemorated the unveiling of a magnificent new sculpture on the Bloomington campus created by Natella, entitled "Spirit of Indiana." Sitting atop a circular base 11 feet in diameter, the donor-funded art piece features five student-athletes coming together in a huddle before taking the field of competition.
"Spirit" joins many other inspiring bronze masterpieces displayed in gardens, plazas, and galleries worldwide. Natella is lauded internationally as an interpreter of the human form, particularly the female form. Her work is featured throughout the IU South Bend campus—particularly "Euterpe's Gift," which graces the gardens outside Addicott-Joshi Performance Hall.
Thousands of people met Natella personally throughout her life, and still thousands more have "met" her by viewing the world through her eyes and hands. The gift of an artist to society is tremendous, as every work of art placed into the world by that artist will continue to introduce the world from the viewpoint of that artist for years to come. Natella’s legacy will remain highly visible for future generations to ponder, admire, and appreciate.
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