advertisement

New bronze sculpture to greet COD visitors

A 29-foot bronze sculpture with a trickling waterfall will greet visitors to the College of DuPage campus in Glen Ellyn come next year.

The COD board of trustees Thursday authorized officials to enter into a contract with sculptor John Medwedeff to create the sculpture, which will be located in front of the Berg Instructional Center at what is being called the college’s “front door.”

The sculpture, to be called APEX, will be in proximity to another bronze creation, an 8-foot depiction of a chaparral — the college’s mascot.

The outdoor public art comes as COD continues its major campus building program, funded through a $168 million referendum, with renovations now being made to the McAninch Arts Center, Physical Education Center and Seaton Computing Center and planned construction of the Campus Maintenance Center.

President Robert Breuder said the sculptures fall in line with other art-related projects on campus: the $35 million renovation of the MAC and construction of a $2 million amphitheater and $1.5 million Cleve Carney Art Gallery.

“This is just one more statement in terms of our commitment to the arts,” he said.

The sculpture is expected to cost between $175,000 and $250,000, though the final expense is dependent on the price of materials when it’s created. It will be funded with money from the referendum.

Medwedeff, of downstate Murphysboro, has created a cardboard scale model of the sculpture. The next step, officials say, is the development of engineering specs.

The same artist sculpted the 27-foot Oasis fountain at Harper College in Palatine, installed in 2002, when Breuder was president there.

“It was incredibly well received and served as a focal point on campus where students would go to get photographed to remind them of Harper College,” Breuder said.

The chaparral sculpture was commissioned by COD with the board’s approval last month. It is expected to cost $54,000 — about half of which is being funded through student activity fees, and the other half through referendum dollars. It is expected to be unveiled as early as next June.

COD commissions sculpture of chaparral mascot

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.