Shakespeare Sculpture to be Unveiled on UCO Campus

April 12, 2007

The UCO College of Arts, Media & Design in collaboration with the City of Edmond and the Edmond Visual Arts Commission, will unveil a bronze sculpture of Shakespeare at 6 p.m. April 6 in front of UCO’s Mitchell Hall Theater.

The 900-pound sculpture, by artist Gary Lee Price, features the prolific playwright relaxing on a large bench. Various characters and symbols from three of his plays, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Hamlet, are incorporated into the sculpture.

The April unveiling coincides with Shakespeare’s birthday, reported to be in April of 1564.  It also will coincide with the university’s production of Shakespeare’s  “Much Ado about Nothing,” and is meant, in part, to honor the late Doug Getzoff, a beloved UCO Theatre Professor who died last fall. 

“I know Doug would appreciate this new artistic addition to the front of Mitchell Hall. He was such a wonderful mentor to his students that having a beautiful and inspiring environment for relaxation and study would gratify him,” said Bob McGill, chair of UCO’s theatre department.

 Price, who will be on hand during the unveiling, said working on the bench was a daunting challenge.

 “The most difficult part of creating my life-size Shakespeare was to quit working on it. Trying to represent him and his work was like trying to sculpt all of humanity in just one figure. The bench ended up being my storyboard and it could have gone on ad infinitum,” said Price.

Price has crafted sculptures for cities, museums, hospitals, corporations and private collectors. Recently, he was selected to sculpt the Statue of Responsibility, a bookend monument to the Statue of Liberty, to be located in one of four cities on the west coast.

For more information on the unveiling, contact Lori Alspaugh with the UCO College of Arts, Media & Design at (405) 974-3778.

Page updated 4/12/07