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The "Maryland, My Maryland" turtle, painted by Barbara and William Gordon,
stands boldly outside the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. |
An army of terrapins has been rolled out to help the University of Maryland in College Park celebrate
its 150th anniversary.
Artists, students and
art enthusiasts painted dozens of fiberglass sculptures of Testudo, the
campus mascot, for the university's public-art project.
"We were looking for a way to include the broader community in the
anniversary celebration," says Cassandra Robinson, assistant director of
university communications.
A 4-and-a-half-foot tall basic fiberglass sculpture was created by Steven Weitzman, an artist in
Brentwood, Md.
Artists were then asked to submit proposals showing the sculpture painted
in different guises. Artists submitted 80 proposals
in October 2005; the 50 best were chosen by the
Fear the Turtle Artistic Review Committee, which included local artists, members
of the art department and the university at large, area arts councils and local gallery
curators. Thirty terrapins
are displayed across the College Park campus; another 20 are
located in Baltimore, Annapolis, Ocean City and the surrounding Washington,
D.C., area. Each artist chosen received a $1,000
stipend to buy supplies. Artists used a variety of materials in their
designs, including paint, clay and paper mache.
The Testudos will remain on display until early October. On October 19, 33
of them will be sold at a public auction at the Riggs Alumni Center
to raise money for scholarships.
Seventeen sculptures have already been pre-purchased by some businesses and individuals who helped sponsor the
program. |