Alma Mater (Illinois sculpture)
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The ''Alma Mater'', a bronze statue by sculptor
Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860, in Elmwood, Illinois – October 30, 1936, in Chicago) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. His 1903 book, ''The History of American Sculpture,'' was the first survey of the subject and stood for deca ...
, is a beloved symbol of the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univers ...
. The 10,000-pound statue depicts a mother-figure wearing academic robes and flanked by two attendant figures representing "Learning" and "Labor", after the university's
motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
"Learning and Labor." Sited at the corner of Green and Wright Streets at the heart of the campus, the statue is an iconic figure for the university and a popular backdrop for student graduation photos. It is appreciated for its romantic, heraldic overtones and warmth of pose. The statue was removed from its site at the entrance to the university for restoration in 2012 and was returned to its site in the spring of 2014.


Description

The ''Alma Mater'' is a bronze figure of a woman in academic robes. She stands in front of a stylized throne, or
klismos A klismos (Greek: κλισμός) or klismos chair is a type of ancient Greek chair, with curved backrest and tapering, outcurved legs. Ancient Greece Klismoi are familiar from depictions of ancient furniture on painted pottery and in bas-relief ...
, with her arms outstretched in welcome. The attendant figure "Labor" is a male who stands to her proper right and wears a blacksmith's apron. At his feet lies a sheaf of papers. The proper left figure "Learning" is a female robed a classical gown with a sun bas-relief on front. Learning and Labor extend their hands in a handshake over the throne. The work stands approximately 13-feet tall. The granite base carries three inscriptions: * Front: ''"ALMA MATER / To thy happy children / of the future / those of the past / send greetings"'' * Left (Green St side): ''"Given to the University / by the sculptor / the alumni fund / and the senior classes of / 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929."'' * Right (Altgeld side): ''"Her children arise up and call her Blessed"'' Proverbs 31:28. The long flowerbed stretching from the front of the ''Alma Mater'' to the corner of Green Street and Wright Street is known as the Alma Mater Plaza.


History

Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860, in Elmwood, Illinois – October 30, 1936, in Chicago) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. His 1903 book, ''The History of American Sculpture,'' was the first survey of the subject and stood for deca ...
wrote in correspondence that he began sculpting on the theme of "Labor and Learning" while home from
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
in 1883, after having graduated from the University of Illinois in 1879. Taft envisioned a sculpture that students would climb on and, indeed, climbing on the statue and sitting on the throne have become campus traditions. The 1883 piece was a relief with just two figures and was not preserved. He began to seek funding for the project in 1916, thirteen years after Daniel Chester French's '' Alma Mater'' was unveiled at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. Taft was familiar with French's reserved, seated Alma Mater treatment and desired to create a more generous and "cordial" figure suitable for a Midwest mother." He began to correspond that year about the work, writing of it on a grand scale and in terms of the figures in position, pose and dress. The central matriarch would stand "at least twelve feet high" and risen from her throne, advancing a step with outstretched arms, "a gesture of generously greeting her children." On the theme of the motto, he would pose two more figures on the same scale yet subordinate. He based Learning on '' Lemnia Athena'' as an heraldic gesture, clasping hands with a sturdy figure of Labor over the back of the chair. The subordination of figures was accomplished by sculpting them "with less accent" so as to make them appear "out of focus." According to financier Roland R. Conklin, an alumnus of the class of 1880, an initial completion date of October, 1918 was pushed back due to Taft's other commissions. Having secured the necessary patronage, Taft and Conklin announced the gift on November 27, 1916. The plaster cast was presented at the annual convocation of the Alumni Association at 3:00 PM on June 13, 1922. So although the plaque beneath has stated the statue was conceived in 1922, it was nearly half a century in the making. The Alma Mater was cast in 1929 by the American Art Bronze Foundry with materials paid for by donations by the Alumni Fund and the classes of 1923–1929, and with time donated by the sculptor himself. Taft insisted that his aim was not personal glory: he wished that his signature appear on the bronze and nowhere else, and even spoke decidedly of forgoing the dedication ceremony. But attend he did, and at the statue's dedication on June 11, 1929, the university bestowed on Taft an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. For 33 years, the statue's provisional location was on the south campus behind
Foellinger Auditorium The Foellinger Auditorium, located at 709 S. Mathews Avenue in Urbana, Illinois on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a concert hall and the university's largest lecture hall. It is the southernmost building on the main ...
, but the Alumni Association moved ''Alma Mater'' to Altgeld Hall on August 22, 1962, despite student dissent. The ''
Daily Illini ''The Daily Illini'', commonly known as the ''DI'', is a student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 1871. Weekday circulation during fall and spring semesters is 7,000; co ...
'' protested the new location as in the "worst possible taste; it makes the Alma Mater a debased, commercial ‘advertisement’ for the University.” Taft, whose father was the first geology professor at the university, lived for many years in Champaign at 601 E. John Street, less than two blocks from the site at Altgeld.


2012–14 restoration

On August 7, 2012, the statue was removed for a planned, $100,000 restoration to repair surface corrosion, cracks, and water penetration into the sculpture. According to the campus historic preservation officer, a previous 1981 attempt to waterproof the statue by university staff had the unintended effect of sealing water inside the sculpture, causing serious internal damage. The statue was restored by Conservation Sculpture and Objects Studio Inc. of Forest Park, Illinois. The ''Alma Mater'' was expected to return before the commencement for the Class of 2013. However, the director of the restoration, Andrzej Dajnowski, reported that the damage was worse than original estimates and that the timeline was to be extended. Restoration costs tripled original estimates to more than $360,000. The statue was not returned until April 2014. Rumors amongst the student body speculated that the statue had actually been damaged, lost, or stolen. Anticipating student reaction to the statue's absence for the 2013 commencement, the university announced extensive plans to provide alternative photo opportunities, including replica statues by School of Art and Design to be placed around campus, green screen photos for a virtual photo with the statue, and improving other landmarks on the campus. The university decided to restore the original bronze color of the statue rather than leave the natural green patina that is associated with the image. Initially, the restoration committee had not announced a decision on the issue. The oxidation was removed by laser, and the metal was sealed with a wax compound.


Symbol and impact

The ''Alma Mater'' has long been a public symbol of the University of Illinois. Her image is currently the profile image for the official University Twitter account, figures prominently on the university website, and the statue is featured on the i-Card, the official university identification card for the flagship Urbana-Champaign campus. The statue is sometimes adorned to reflect current events. In 2005, during the Final Four, the ''Alma Mater'' sported an Illini jersey. In late 2007, the ''Alma Mater'' was decorated with a variety of red, orange, and blue roses to signify the Illinois football team's
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appearance. In 2010, the Alma Mater was decorated with a UIUC cap and gown custom-made by
Herff Jones Herff Jones is an American company that manufactures and sells educational recognition and achievement products and motivational materials, and has been in continuous operation since 1920. Herff Jones maintains production facilities across the Un ...
to signify the university's graduation exercises. In March 2021, the Alma Mater donned a face mask, similar to the one
Ayo Dosunmu Quamdeen Ayopo Dosunmu (born January 17, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at Illinois, where he was named a consensus first-team A ...
wore in the 2021 NCAA Tournament after breaking his nose. In the 2012–13 absence of the statue, it was popular for students to don costumes mimicking the ''Alma Maters robes and pose on the empty granite base.


See also

*
UIUC Main Campus The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is an academic research institution located in Urbana, Illinois and the flagship campus of the University of Illinois System. Since its founding in 1867, it has resided and expanded between the twin c ...
*
Alma Mater (New York sculpture) ''Alma Mater'' is a bronze sculpture by Daniel Chester French which is located on the steps of the Low Memorial Library on the campus of Columbia University, in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. French designed ...
*
Bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
* Lincoln the Lawyer


References


External links


Save Outdoor Sculpture Survey of ''Alma Mater''

University of Illinois Twitter Account @Illinois_Alma
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alma Mater (Illinois Sculpture) Outdoor sculptures in Illinois Buildings and structures of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Bronze sculptures in Illinois 1929 sculptures Sculptures by Lorado Taft Allegorical sculptures in Illinois 1929 establishments in Illinois