∑
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2010
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Spring 2010
osu.edu
6 BRUTUS IN BRONZE
All-Ohio Collaboration Creates Lasting Tribute to Ohio State’s Mascot
B
rutus Buckeye is Ohio State’s iconic symbol of spirit and pride, so it is only fitting a life-size bronze replica of the university’s mascot is in the Great Hall to greet visitors to the new Ohio Union. When alumna and artist Renate Burgyan-Fackler found out Ohio State wanted her to create it, her connection as a Buckeye came rushing back to her. She was editor of the MAKIO, Ohio State’s yearbook, in 1975, and she worked in an office in the old Ohio Union. She also was a resident advisor in Drackett Tower in ’76 and a graduate of the School of Journalism. The chance to fashion a lasting piece in the new building was an honor she would never refuse. Burgyan-Fackler “I’ve been sculpting for 24 years, and I don’t think I’ll make anything that gets as much recognition as Brutus,” says Burgyan-Fackler. “And it’s the only thing I ever made where thousands of people will gain pleasure from touching my work. The university intends for people to rub his knees, his finger, and head for good luck. That’s why I love working in bronze because it’s all about touching it, and it brings people closer together. Brutus has something about him that unifies everyone at Ohio State.” Nobody knows that better than one of the four students who currently dresses as Brutus and posed for the sculpture. Brian Bunting, a fifth-year senior from Columbus studying industrial systems engineering, says being a part of immortalizing Brutus in the union will always be a highlight of his time at Ohio State. “That statue may be Brutus, but that Brutus is me,” Bunting says. “It’s the mark I’m leaving on this university—certainly the most visible one. That’s something that will be here longer than I will be here, and to know that and come back 50 years from now and show my kids or grandkids, ‘That’s me. That’s what I did so many years ago. That’s what’s left behind.’ That’s a legacy not many college students get to have. I’m very thankful for the opportunity. It’s nothing short of amazing.” After photographing and measuring Bunting as Brutus from every angle and working with Beth Ullum, special projects coordinator for the Ohio Union in the Office of Student Life, to determine the most welcom-
ing pose for the sculpture, Burgyan-Fackler spent four to six hours each day over eight months shaping Brutus in clay. Even though Burgyan-Fackler is a stickler for perfection, her Buckeye roots gave her even more reason to build the perfect Brutus. She spent time poring over every detail, making sure the stripes on Brutus’ shirt had texture to represent the color red or the lack thereof for gray. She also used lighter bronze patinas to bring out Brutus’ face. “Renate didn’t take poetic license. She sculpted what Brutus looks like,” Bunting notes. “It’s not an artist’s rendition. It’s the real deal and it’s on display for everyone who walks through these doors. She spent a lot of time on it and she realized the importance and what it meant symbolically. I love the end result.” Burgyan-Fackler fashioned Brutus out of clay before the foundry broke him into 20 pieces to make a wax mold, into which liquid bronze was poured. Brutus’ parts were then welded back together into his sitting pose on the bench. And she made sure she was intricately involved in the bronzing process at Coopermill Bronzeworks in Zanesville—making the sculpture an all-Ohio collaboration.
“I’d like people to feel connected to Ohio State and each other when they see and touch Brutus,” BurgyanFackler says. “He is a medium that reinforces, and for some reawakens, positive feelings about the university.” Burgyan-Fackler directed her life toward art after experiencing what she calls an “a-ha” moment. Following a brief advertising career, at age 30, she underwent a hysterectomy for cancer. The experience helped convince her to focus her attention, aside from family, on what mattered most to her. Though her primary reason for sculpting was personal, her business has been a recognized success, and the Brutus commission was a byproduct of that. She originally was hired to cast 13 bronze faces of former fraternity and sorority presidents for Chi Omega to display in the Leadership Rotunda. When Ohio Union staff members saw her work, they asked her also to create a bust of former Ohio Union director Beanie Drake to display at the entrance to the Center for Student Leadership and Service. That led eventually to being asked to do Brutus. “There’s a certain amount of inner satisfaction of completing something to the best of my ability,” BurgyanFackler says. “When someone looks at what I’ve done, and says they like it, I can tell on a gut level whether they are sincere or not. It’s a nonverbal communication you just can’t hide. That’s my thermometer to see if my piece works. But everyone seemed elated with Brutus, and I’m glad they were so ecstatic about it.”
One university. Multiple choices. Prefer a small campus close to home? An Ohio State regional campus may be right for you. Interested in research leading to a “green” career? Consider Ohio State’s Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, Ohio. Eager for the challenges of a top-ranked comprehensive research university in a major city? Thousands choose our Columbus campus each year. Always wanted to be a Buckeye? Any of the above.
Whether you attend Ohio State’s Columbus campus; one of our regional campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, or Newark; or the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, all credits lead to an Ohio State degree. And all offer the pride of being a Buckeye.
DO SOMETHING GREAT osu.edu
Columbus • Lima • Mansfield • Marion • Newark • Wooster