Posted on April 2, 2007
Last week, the Centennial Celebration committee began taking orders for 2-foot-tall versions of the Duke Dog statue that will decorate Harrisonburg next year.
“We just thought it would be a fun project to do,” said Centennial Director Fred Hilton.
The Duke Dog project, officially called “Put Up Your Dukes,” is a part of JMU’s Centennial Celebration, which began last week and will end on March 14, 2008. The mini-statues will be displayed in a number of locations around campus and in stores and restaurants in downtown Harrisonburg.
“It’s an idea that’s been around the country for a number of years,” Hilton said.
It started with the Cows on Parade project in Colorado in 1999 and continued with the display of mermaid statues in Norfolk, fish in Baltimore and Richmond and other statues in locations around the country.
Virginia Tech is also displaying giant Hokie bird statues all over Blacksburg.
“I saw something like this a couple years ago in North Carolina,” senior Gretchen Bobber said. “They were horse statues along the main road. They were decorated with paint and other objects, one had wings. I think the Duke Dog statues painted around campus would be fun to admire.”
The statues are being created by Lee Leuning, the designer of the James Madison statue on campus, as well as the original Duke Dog that guards the entrance to the football stadium. They are 2-feet wide and 22-inches tall, and are made out of a solid resin that resembles fiberglass.
For $1,500, any individual or organization can procure a statue and the assistance of a professional artist to decorate it. According to Hilton, 20 orders have already been taken, and they hope to sell twice that number over the summer.
“I like the idea of organizations getting together and buying stuff to advertise the school,” sophomore Gendou Lowman said.
The project Web site will feature a map with the locations of the statues, and information about the sponsoring organization and artist.
Centennial Assistant Director Debbi Long is enthusiastic about the project.
“I think they’re going to take off fast,” she said.
Statues will be put in place over the summer and should be on display throughout the 2007-08 school year.
To encourage student participation, any group who agrees to decorate their own statue will receive a $400 discount on the price.
Some statues that have already been designed include one designed to represent countries around the globe and another designed to look like “Madison Man,” a popular figure from football games 20 years ago. The statue currently sitting in Hilton’s office will be decorated using reproductions of photos from the university’s history.
Senior Meryl Rubin said, “I think it’s a great way to bring the students and the community together as part of the centennial.”
