Graduating seniors this May will notice one familiar face not among them in the post-Commencement celebrations: the Alma Mater.
The statue is now expected to return some time during the 2013-2014 academic year.
After being hauled off campus Aug. 7, it was expected to return by May 4, after conservators at the Conservation of Sculpture and Objects Studio repaired corrosion and water damage to the statue that had occurred since its last touch-up in 1981. But when the restoration work got underway, the studio found the statue’s internal damage exceeded the initial expectations, said University spokeswoman Robin Kaler.
In a video interview provided to media outlets by the University, Andrzej Dajnowski, lead conservator with the studio, said the statue has posed some unique problems for his group.
“The most unique part is that the sculpture is big enough to have serious structural problems but small enough so that we cannot get in very easily,” he said.
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The additional work is estimated to cost another $260,000, more than tripling the original cost to a total of roughly $360,000. The project will be paid for by the Chancellor’s Fund, which is provided by private gifts from alumni and others.
According to a University press release, the statue will have each of its 30 constituent parts laser-cleaned to remove oxidation and undergo additional work to repair and possibly replace corroded metal, Kaler said. Further restoration beyond the original $99,962 contract could not begin until additional funds went through the procurement process, which went through on Monday.
The Alma Mater will also return in its original bronze visage, due to a protective wax coating that will prevent the blue-green patina that gave the sculpture its familiar color when it last left campus.
Kaler said the University’s School of Art and Design will be constructing several “human-sized” replicas of the campus icon alongside which recent graduates can pose with for pictures this May. Also on the table are green screens for “photoshopping” in the statue for commencement photos.
“I know it is disheartening, but we’re preserving her for the ages, and not rushing to get her back just for this year,” Kaler said.
Nathaniel can be reached at [email protected].
