Eagle flies the COOP; Jefferson to replace
John Krudy
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: News
Students were surprised in recent weeks to find the eagle statue between Central Hall and Mossey Library replaced by a wooden box and a patch of bare concrete. The spot will soon host a statue of Thomas Jefferson, as of its unveiling at the April 16 spring convocation.
"He'll be seated, in a chair pretty close to the one in which he wrote the Declaration of Independence," said Professor of Art Tony Frudakis, who created the statue. "He'll be holding a book in his right hand and looking out at campus. And he'll be younger than some of the other statues."
Vice President of Administration Rich Péwé said the completion of the Jefferson piece influenced the college's decision to remove the eagle statue, one of many around campus.
"We had to remove it because the base was sinking," he said. "But we knew Jefferson was finished, so we put the eagle in storage and we'll re-center the base."
Péwé said the new granite base for Jefferson will cost between $6,000 and $8,000, and around $250,000 for the whole project. Part of the ongoing Liberty Walk project, the base and statue are primarily sponsored by "long-time friends of the college," Col. and Mrs. Jack Henderson, according to Mike Harner, assistant to the president. The Liberty Walk will also gain a figure of Abraham Lincoln, made by Frudakis, at Commencement in May.
"At some point we'll get Reagan, maybe Frederick Douglass," Péwé said. "But the Jefferson is going to be great - it's a great location. We looked all over campus, and that was the best."
Frudakis said the placing of the new Jefferson sculpture didn't affect his work on the piece. He and President Larry Arnn will eventually meet to discuss the exact placement.
Frudakis also talked about his decision to put Jefferson in a high-backed, Windsor chair.
"You don't want to have them all standing up," he said. "It's good to have a few sitting and few standing, for balance."
The eagle will be in storage indefinitely, until a new place is determined, Péwé said.
"He'll be seated, in a chair pretty close to the one in which he wrote the Declaration of Independence," said Professor of Art Tony Frudakis, who created the statue. "He'll be holding a book in his right hand and looking out at campus. And he'll be younger than some of the other statues."
Vice President of Administration Rich Péwé said the completion of the Jefferson piece influenced the college's decision to remove the eagle statue, one of many around campus.
"We had to remove it because the base was sinking," he said. "But we knew Jefferson was finished, so we put the eagle in storage and we'll re-center the base."
Péwé said the new granite base for Jefferson will cost between $6,000 and $8,000, and around $250,000 for the whole project. Part of the ongoing Liberty Walk project, the base and statue are primarily sponsored by "long-time friends of the college," Col. and Mrs. Jack Henderson, according to Mike Harner, assistant to the president. The Liberty Walk will also gain a figure of Abraham Lincoln, made by Frudakis, at Commencement in May.
"At some point we'll get Reagan, maybe Frederick Douglass," Péwé said. "But the Jefferson is going to be great - it's a great location. We looked all over campus, and that was the best."
Frudakis said the placing of the new Jefferson sculpture didn't affect his work on the piece. He and President Larry Arnn will eventually meet to discuss the exact placement.
Frudakis also talked about his decision to put Jefferson in a high-backed, Windsor chair.
"You don't want to have them all standing up," he said. "It's good to have a few sitting and few standing, for balance."
The eagle will be in storage indefinitely, until a new place is determined, Péwé said.
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