One More Bucky!

Well Red Bucky is also well read!
6/16/2018  dwm photo

A parade usually lasts an hour or two.  Bucky on Parade stretches until September 12.

Well-Red Bucky is settled in for a much longer stay in front of the Red Gym next to the Memorial Union Terrace along the banks of Lake Mendota.

He is a permanent fixture in the newly added University of Wisconsin Alumni Park.

The sculptor, Douwe Blumberg, told the Alumni Association she wanted to turn a college mascot into a great piece of art.  The idea was something serious, like The Thinker, but with whimsy.

I was aware of this Bucky, but it was while taking pictures of several Buckys on Parade on campus that I met him.  I was so close, it seemed silly not to take his picture.

This Bucky is bronze with three-dimensional stained glass and illuminated.  He is almost eight feet tall sitting on a small library of books.

Whatcha thinking
Bucky? 6/16/18 (dwm)

Bucky looks at the lake, mulling over what he read or contemplating the next assignment.  It's possible he is thinking about the future or the next party.

It is a large statue weighing in at 2,500 pounds and designed for other Badgers to interact.

The primary interaction in these social media times is the selfie and I'm expecting a lot of Christmas card photos including Bucky this year.

The artist, in the interview linked above, admitted the challenge of working with a mascot, "I mean, Bucky doesn't really exist.  He's a suit. Or he's a graphic image, he's a drawing. I wanted to create something that feels like he's come alive. And I think we did. The welcoming, openness... combined with his pose and his face. He looks very real."

I'd suggest that like other beloved characters, Bucky is very real.

He might be different to me than to somebody else.  An alumnus may have different feelings than the spectator who likes rooting for Wisconsin, but the idea and persona of Bucky Badger is definitely real.

We were introduced to how real was realized with the flames inside 85 statues and the passion with which folks pursued him all over the county.

Bucky is alive, and Mr. Well Red is doing what many undergrads, alumni, and admirers enjoy - looking at the lake while taking stock and contemplating the next move.

Since he is bronze, you can plan your visit.  He will be there long after the Bucky parade moves on.