Funding for monumental sculpture!

Hello! This is Isaac Scott and I am an MFA student at Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Since the beginning of the year I have been working on a monumental sculpture project! I am recreating the sculpture on the dome of the capital building in my hometown of Madison, WI. Since 1914 this sculpture has been at the center of the community both physically and culturally. Due to a law passed in 1990, no other building in Madison can be built taller than the dome of the Capital. And now the dome, as well as the golden woman "Wisconsin" standing at the top, can be seen from miles away. She has her right arm outstretched pointing "forward," which is the state motto and her left hand holds a globe with an eagle perched on top. On her head is a helmet with the state animal badger and clusters of grapes. She is sculpted in a Greco/Roman style and depicted as Athena, the Greek goddess of Wisdom. 

I am recreating this cultural symbol of my native city and state using my little sister Sophia as the model. When observing allegorical statues around the country, black and brown bodies are never used when representing cities, states, or ideas such as virtue, freedom, or justice.  The white marble statues of antiquity have translated into the elevation of white bodies today. But what happens when someone who looks like me is elevated to a place where they don't just represent their own race but our whole community?  My relationship with my home town and this statue is complicated by my love for and simultaneous alienation from  who is being represented there.  Instead of waiting for representation to come to Wisconsin I have decided to create it for myself. This statue has been a labor of love for my state, my sister and my family and I am asking for your help to bring it to completion. 



I am bringing my #Wisconsin statue to the National Council on Education of the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference this March in Richmond, VA. I will showing this piece along with 8 other artists of color in an exhibition I am curating called Monumental. The show will feature large scale works about the artists personal connection to monuments and is in response to the 5 confederate monuments on Monument Avenue in Richmond, VA. 

In order to finish this sculpture in time for the conference I need to have a custom steel armature welded to hold up the heavy ceramic sections of the piece. Due to my lack of welding experience and time constraints I need to outsource the welding for the armature. With labor costs + materials, I am estimating the armature will cost me around $1800. I have added $250 to my goal to cover shipping costs of donation rewards and miscellaneous material costs. Any extra proceeds that I don't spend on the sculpture will go toward the exhibition reception. 

Thank you so much for your time and contributions and I am excited to bring #Wisconsin to NCECA!

If your contribution falls into one of the following categories please leave a message with your shipping name and address and I will get you your donation reward by  May 15.

$50 Donation will receive a zine from Monumental Exhibition
$100 Donation will receive a hand thrown and decorated mug
$300 will receive a hand thrown and decorated Pitcher
$500 will receive a hand thrown and decorated lidded jar