Post by Admin on Oct 17, 2023 16:09:58 GMT -5
WCU unleashes a bigger, meaner, more ferocious Catamount
www.wcu.edu/stories/posts/News/2023/10/wcu-unleashes-a-bigger-meaner-more-ferocious-catamount.aspx
WCU's new Catamount was installed Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the roundabout in front of H.F. Robinson Administration Building. The new cat is 8-feet tall and weighs 1,200 pounds.
By Marlon W. Morgan
There’s a new cat on the prowl and he’s waiting to greet all who enter Western Carolina University’s campus.
A new, fierce-looking bronze Catamount statue sits in the middle of the roundabout in front of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building. It was installed early Tuesday, Oct. 17, by members of the university’s Facilities Management team and sculptor Jon Hair, who was commissioned by WCU’s Public Art Committee.
As the Catamount was being prepped for its new home, Hair took a moment to reflect on his work. It was his 70th sculpture in North Carolina and his 20th college mascot that he has done.
“I love working for colleges,” Hair said. “I like the mascots because they’re more fun. You want to make them intimidating and give them that “don’t mess with me” look. I recommend when your visiting teams come in, you get a jersey, you shred it and you hang it on that claw. When they drive in, that’ll tell them what’s going to happen later.”
The new Catamount stands 8-feet tall, perched on a rock that features the Cherokee syllabary character “wi” which denotes a geographic location. Its right paw is in a swiping motion, showing its ferocious claws. It is made of silicon bronze and weighs 1,200 pounds. Its eyes are made of high-polished gold.
Last month, the old cat statue found its new home near Ramsey Regional Activity Center, giving WCU two Catamounts to display.
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www.wcu.edu/stories/posts/News/2023/10/wcu-unleashes-a-bigger-meaner-more-ferocious-catamount.aspx
WCU's new Catamount was installed Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the roundabout in front of H.F. Robinson Administration Building. The new cat is 8-feet tall and weighs 1,200 pounds.
By Marlon W. Morgan
There’s a new cat on the prowl and he’s waiting to greet all who enter Western Carolina University’s campus.
A new, fierce-looking bronze Catamount statue sits in the middle of the roundabout in front of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building. It was installed early Tuesday, Oct. 17, by members of the university’s Facilities Management team and sculptor Jon Hair, who was commissioned by WCU’s Public Art Committee.
As the Catamount was being prepped for its new home, Hair took a moment to reflect on his work. It was his 70th sculpture in North Carolina and his 20th college mascot that he has done.
“I love working for colleges,” Hair said. “I like the mascots because they’re more fun. You want to make them intimidating and give them that “don’t mess with me” look. I recommend when your visiting teams come in, you get a jersey, you shred it and you hang it on that claw. When they drive in, that’ll tell them what’s going to happen later.”
The new Catamount stands 8-feet tall, perched on a rock that features the Cherokee syllabary character “wi” which denotes a geographic location. Its right paw is in a swiping motion, showing its ferocious claws. It is made of silicon bronze and weighs 1,200 pounds. Its eyes are made of high-polished gold.
Last month, the old cat statue found its new home near Ramsey Regional Activity Center, giving WCU two Catamounts to display.
[img src=" " alt=" "]