Sitting just outside the doors of the brand new state-of-the-art Bishop Gerber Science Center is a nearly 400-pound bronze sculpture.
Lori Norwood, an artist based in Lawrence, Kansas, spent 16 months planning, mixing and forming the sculpture of Bishop Emeritus Eugene J. Gerber.
The public is invited to enjoy a talk about her process at “Tea with the Sculptor” at 3 p.m. April 20.
Norwood will bring images and discuss, informally, the background of this sculpture. She’ll also answering questions from the audience about her process and what it takes to produce such a large, bronze sculpture.
Norwood said, “I am hoping that more information about the sculpture helps people on campus to feel more connected to it. I hope that they come to understand the group effort that is like an iceberg under the surface; so much effort and love put in seemingly invisibly from many people, not the least of whom was the bishop himself.”
President Noreen M. Carrocci, Ph.D., said, “Ms. Norwood is an award-winning sculptor, and having her on our campus for the tea and the dedication of the sculpture, Gerber Family Commons, and the Heimerman Plaza, will be an extra gift she will sharewith our community.”
The sculpture arrived on campus Feb 26.
Carrocci said, “Former board chair Linda Davison, friend Myra Devlin, and I got to know Lori and her process all along the way. We found her to be so caring about the project and focused on capturing Bishop Gerber’s incredible spirit. I’m just glad that she so readily agreed to share her creative process with this larger group.”
Norwood said she was humbled by the project. “To find a way to portray this person to the people who know and love him best is a kind of a sacred trust. I found so much to admire in him and I kept those things in my mind as I worked, while at the same time endeavoring to make a piece of sculpture that holds interest and integrity on its own.
“I make a sculpture to the very best of my ability. It takes time and perspective for me to start seeing fault here and there, but that critical eye is me reaching further and recognizing that I will forever be a student of my craft.”
