Ryan Quinn

Ryan Quinn grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and still feels a strong connection to the Midwest—especially the values of honesty, humility, and compassion that his family instilled in him as a child. Despite his childhood resistance to helping his mother in her extensive vegetable gardens and pumpkin fields, he has come to appreciate nature—not in the way a hiker feels connected to the forest, but in the way a farmer develops a personal knowledge of the land.

The Meaning Behind Zaivy Zaets (An Unneeded Hare):
The sculpture’s title, Zaivy Zaets, translates from Ukrainian as “An Unneeded Hare.” This was Ryan’s first sculpture, created as a learning exercise under his teacher, Serhii Brylov. Serhii instructed Ryan to choose an American folktale as the theme. He selected Brer Rabbit—specifically the story in which Brer Rabbit is trapped by Brer Fox and tricks him into throwing him into a thorny briar patch, which would seem a painful end. However, the briar patch is where Brer Rabbit was born and raised, revealing his cleverness, resilience, and poise in a moment of danger.

“To me, Brer Rabbit—and the sculpture he inspired, Unneeded Hare—share a great deal with the Ukrainian people as I know them,” says Ryan, “and as I have seen them respond to the Russian invasion.” As a country, Ukraine may be smaller and less powerful, but as a nation it has proven itself formidable, embodying the same characteristics as Brer Rabbit—resilience, bravery, and a refusal to give up in the grip of a ruthless foe. The people of Ukraine are fighting for their lives, but they are doing so on their home turf, with relentless tenacity.