Gwen Gillen

[2][3][4][5] Her other well known pieces include a 4-foot bronze sculpture of Gertie the Duck, which was installed on the Wisconsin Avenue bridge in Milwaukee in 1997.

[2] Gillen studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, which helped her lose her Massachusetts accent.

[4][5] Ronald Gillen was a member of the U.S. Air Force, causing the couple to move frequently, including to Guam and Japan.

[3] Gwen Gillen began her career as a sculptor by creating small, test sculptures in the basement studio of her home in Hustisford, Wisconsin.

So I’m showing it at just between 78 and 80 degrees, with the hat just touching the fingers of her extended right hand, and the thumb open...I'm not trying to do anything tricky or silly — suspending wires or attaching it to a building or pole.

[2] The statue on display at the Minneapolis Visitor Center, as of February 2017, pending completion of renovations on the Nicollet Mall.

In a 2005 interview with NPR, Gillen explained her decision to redesign Witmer's memorial, "You figure there's so many military sculptures out there, and they all have the sort of same feeling to them as far as being honorable, country, duty, serious,” she said.

"[4] Another of Gillen's less serious pieces, a 16-foot medallion-shaped, ceramic tile floor mosaic depicting a Holstein cow eating a cream puff, was installed at the southwest entrance to the Wisconsin State Fair in 2000.

[7] By 2014, millions of visitors, as well harsh Wisconsin winters, had caused the mosaic to crack and crumble, necessitating makeshift concrete patches.

[6] An enthusiastic anglophile, Gwen Gillen was a frequent guest of Anthony Hopkins and his former wife, Jenni, at their home in London.