Crafting “The Stand”: A Monumental Vision in Glass

29th Anniversary – Created 1996

In 1996, Scott Prentice etched an enduring masterpiece into the soul of Mount Rushmore National Memorial: a 20’x40′ glass-etched marvel titled The Stand. Born from a whirlwind commission during a multimillion-dollar reconstruction, this radiant work captures the sacred white buffalo, its gaze locked on the carved presidents—a symbol of resilience, unity, and reverence. Approved by the National Park Service after a meticulous jury review, The Stand replaced the beloved The Hunt by David Humphreys Miller, a painting that once defined the Buffalo Dining Room. Infused with South Dakota’s spirit of reconciliation with Native American communities, Prentice’s white buffalo stands as a bridge between past and present, a testament to the sacred and the eternal at Mount Rushmore.

The Journey to The Stand

  • A Call That Ignited a Dream: It was a golden afternoon in mid-May 1996 when my phone buzzed with possibility. Bruce Van Vort, general manager of Xanterra the consessionaire to Mount Rushmore, came to visit my Rapid City studio to discuss a project cloaked in mystery. I was in my element then, scaling new heights in my career with carved and etched glass for commercial clients across the region. Fresh off a triumphant project at Anderson Millwork—four glass walls adorned with depth-etched lions, lounging in regal splendor—I felt unstoppable. That job was my calling card, a bold statement of my craft, and I sensed Bruce’s call could lead to something even grander. I invited him to my studio, my heart thrumming with anticipation.
  • A Challenge as Vast as the Monument: Bruce arrived the next day, his upbeat energy filling my studio on Majestic Trail like sunlight through a prism. After warm introductions and a dive into my portfolio, he unveiled the project: a 20’x40’ glass wall at Mount Rushmore, to be transformed by my artistry in a mere 17 days for the June 6th grand opening. The scale was colossal, the timeline audacious, and the stakes monumental—the design needed the National Park Service superintendent’s approval. Standing before the towering glass canvas at the monument, I felt the weight of the challenge like a gust off the Black Hills. But with a fire in my gut, I said, “Yes.” Bruce asked for two sketches, fast, and I returned to my studio, my mind already ablaze with visions.
  • Sketching the Soul of the Buffalo: Back on Majestic Trail, I poured my spirit into two designs. The first showed buffalo locked in a fierce dance of horns, raw and untamed. The second—a lone white buffalo, proud and resolute—captured my heart. I’d been immersed in research on the sacred white buffalo, diving into Lakota lore, visiting local ranches, and studying the creature’s mythic place in Native American culture. I knew a white buffalo, its etched form glowing like moonlight on glass, would be breathtaking. My past experiments with white angels and white horses had taught me that white etchings radiated purity and power, and this buffalo would be no different. It was more than art—it was a statement, a stand for reconciliation and strength.
  • Echoes of Memory: As Bruce carried my sketches to the superintendent, I wandered to the old Buffalo Dining Room, still standing just down the hill. The space stirred memories of my first visit to Mount Rushmore in 1963, a wide-eyed three-year-old awestruck by the monument’s grandeur. The weight of replacing The Hunt, a painting cherished by carvers and travelers alike, settled over me. Yet, in that quiet moment, I felt the white buffalo’s spirit guiding my hand, its presence a promise to honor the past while forging something new, something eternal.
  • I returned to my studio and waited for the call. Bruce called I believe the following day with the needed approval. I didn’t have time to think. I acted.
  • I called my assistant apprentice Joe and we created a plan.
  • We packed up my truck with sleeping bags, compressors, sand and sand blaster, pencils, paper, frisket, and everything we believed we needed and headed upto Mount Rushmore.

Arriving at the new Mount Rushmore National Memorial was absolutely, mind blowing.. We never expected such an awesome welcome by the Memorial itself.

Everything was new, fresh and solid rock or marble. It was beautiful and big..

Once we got inside the new Buffalo Dining Room it was a huge room. We spent the first 6 – 7 hours just cleaning the glass to get it ready for the frisket and design state.

Then we got to cutting out the frisket before the second day. Mind you we slept right here on the floor overnigh. Bruce said, “We’ll keep the lights on for you!” mocking Tom Bodet from the hotel commercial. We worked several days through the night only getting a couple hours of sleep here and there. I’d constantly get off our wall jack and check out the perspective and try to imagine what it was going to look like. Bruce stopped over every morning to check out our work. I could tell he was worried, but I was always able to calm his nerves. This was going to be a big opening for him too.

Thats Joe Massey in the picture above. What a wonderful kid he was. He loved this work and loved drawing and etching glass. We had our drawing and layout pinned to the glass and we basically transfered my design one pane at a time. The drawing and the layout was the easiest part, cutting all the frisket by hand up on a lift 20 feet in the air was another story. But we got it cut out an everything was looking good. Then on to blasting.

So here I am checking the back side for blead through and coverage and everything is going as planned.

On the front side is where we had built a booth and an air evacuation system to pull out floating sand particulate that was also filled with the microscopic glass chards that fill up the room from the glass that is being removed. This part was the hardest part. I was probably masked up and in my blasting suite for over 3 days maybe more. When you are working against a tight deadline as we were, you tend to lose track of time.

I know the photo says 5th day, but I think that was from frisket on to finished blasting on the 6th day or 7th. I know we both where tired and weak. Excited for what we started to see as we pulled off frisket. We couldn’t believe our eyes. It was coming out as expected. But we still couldn’t tell quite. We still needed to clean up the glass, sand and tear down our booth. We tried not to look at it as we worked, from this point forward. It was complete, but we didn’t want to see the finished project until we both could stand back and see it from 30 feet away. We spent a total of 7 days and 7 nights working with little to no sleep and quick breaks for a bite to eat here and there.

That morning around 3:30 am on the 7th day , both Joe and I stood for a moment with my camera taped to the ladder jack, it snapped this picture. Then we both went down to the far end of the room and fell asleep on the floor till morning just before Bruce walked in. I’ll never forget that day. Bruce was so excited, he almost floated off the ground and wanted to go get the Superintendent to come over. They both came over and Bruce turned to me and said, “That’s going to be up there for a very long time.”

June 1996 – The Stand Unveiled

I don’t believe this was the unveiling day picture. I believe this picture was taken a couple years later.

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The white buffalo, etched in luminous glass, now faces the presidents of Mount Rushmore, a powerful emblem of endurance and unity. Completed for the June 6th opening, this monumental work stands as a beacon of craft, vision, and the unbreakable spirit of the American West.