The new bronze Sparty statue was revealed at the Union on Wednesday. The project has been in the works since 2010 and was started in 2015. After a year of work on the statue, it was finally revealed.
The bronze Sparty unveiling involved program speakers, Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Scott Westerman, sculptor Alison Brown, April Clobes from the MSU Federal Credit Union, Vice President of Auxiliary Enterprises Vennie Gore and President Lou Anna K. Simon. Sparty himself also made an appearance.
“I think when you see him, you will be amazed at how much he looks like the real Sparty and I know when I saw him, I just expected him to get up off the bench and walk away," Union Director Tami Kuhn said. "But I think it’s a really great opportunity for people to reach out and touch Sparty and connect with him.”
Bringing the statue into the Union required 12 people, Union Associate Director Doug Murdoch said. The sculpture weighs approximately 1,500 pounds.
"Because of the size, it would not come in through the normal loading dock or the hallways of the building because it’s such an old building, so it had to be carried in through the entrance doors and up the stairs," Murdoch said.
The idea behind the Sparty sculpture started with a conversation in the Union Advisory Board, Kuhn said. It was created as a project to enhance the Union.
“We started thinking about this in 2010, and finally in 2015, decided it wasn’t going to happen unless we decided to make it so," she said. “We requested proposals from various bronze artists and those were sent in and then reviewed by the committee, and Alison Brown was elected. Hers was by far the best proposal and, I believe, ultimately the very best choice for the project.”
Brown, 27, hails from Oregon and has been sculpting for five years. In her time as a sculptor, she has created mascot sculptures for the University of Oregon, the University of Southern California, Oregon State and Boise State University.
“The casting process is exactly the same each time, the sculpting process, I mean, that can be way different," Brown said. "It’s technically the same, but, like, the inspiration, the story, everything else is a totally, totally different experience for each piece because it’s got a different foundation behind it, so that’s what keeps it fun.”
Before creating the sculpture, Brown visited MSU to collect reference material. She measured Sparty and took photos before returning to Oregon to work on him, she said. Now a year later, the statue is done.
“There’s a whimsy to Sparty, but there’s a real strength behind it," she said. "And I just thought that it was so cool — that can tell the story of so many different stories and so many other accomplishments that people have done based on that drive and that grit. That was really inspiring to me. That is what I hope to capture in the sculpture.”
Now that the statue has been unveiled, people will be able to take pictures with Sparty at any time. Kuhn said she hopes the sculpture will have a positive impact on the community.
“I’m just really proud that this is finally come to fruition and so proud of all the people who worked really hard on this project," Kuhn said. "It’s a good day to be in the Union.”
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The statue is a gift from the class of 2016.
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