Saluki Plaza

Cast bronze, 5' x 18' x 4'

This piece’s goal was to honor SIUC’s 150-year history. Originally, we were provided with a concept of three Saluki dogs running in a line—symbolizing the university’s past, present, and future. Collaborating with my talented studio supervisor Megan Robin-Abbott, we devised a new composition we thought was more visually compelling: grouping the dogs in a dynamic cantilevered design. Working for seven months, we created a clay scale model, and then foam cores that were sent to a foundry in Ohio for bronze castings (taking another 10 months). (This was a very different process for us since we usually work directly with the metal.) To support the dogs’ substantial weight, I designed and fabricated a massive and complicated structure hidden within the pedestal. 

Commissioned by the Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (SIUC) Alumni Association