Bradley Sculptures on campus
A.J. Robertson statue
After the demolition of the Robertson Memorial Field House in 2008, two Bradley professors decided to keep the Robertson name honored on campus by building a sculpture of the athletic director and coach who served Bradley athletics from 1920–1948.
The project took about 1,000 hours split between two artists — current sculpture professor Ficher Stolz and former instructor Jaci Willis — and was finished in 2012. A former Bradley student served as the body model for the statue, and Robertson’s son Corky provided his hands for a mold.
The sculpture weighs about 800 pounds, although it is hollow, and sits in front of the Circle of Pride near the Alumni Quad.
Lydia Moss Bradley statue
The statue of Lydia Moss Bradley that sits in the middle of Founder’s Circle was unveiled in 1997 as part of Bradley’s 100th anniversary after several years of fundraising.
Admiration for Lydia far predates this statue, as a dozen Peoria citizens raised money to commission and present a bust of Bradley’s foundress to the institution in 1899.
“Centerpeace”
Artist Linda Howard added “Centerpeace,” also known as the ribcage (and other, more suggestive titles), to the front lawn of the Cullom-Davis Library in 1991.
A Bradley 1926 alumnus commissioned the artwork as a memorial to his late wife, and it is meant to resemble a temple of sanctuary. Bradley’s Art and Manufacturing Engineering Departments teamed up to help the sculptor complete her project.
Howard completed the sculpture in just one week.
“Tijina”
The 17-foot-tall, 14-foot-wide multicolored sculpture on the Jobst/Baker Quad was finished in 1994 by Chicago artist Jerry Peart, costing the university about $50,000.
The 3,000 pounds of painted aluminum was commissioned as part of Bradley’s campus beautification plan. Peart said the green vine shape in the sculpture reminds him of the agriculture surrounding Peoria.
Vandalism and other shenanigans
“Flatlanders”
Olin Quad featured 17 seven-foot-tall human forms sporting sunglasses and covered in grass in 1992.
When the “Flatlanders” exhibit made its debut on campus, artist Alvin Paige said his “work is intentionally vulnerable, at risk almost always and open to threat by the elements.”
The clay forms weren’t threatened by nature, but Bradley students provided a quick extinction to their race.
The statues were vandalized several times after their erection, causing at least two student arrests. A freshman student then decided to create a group of protectors to stand guard at night, but the exhibit was removed from campus after a couple of months.
“Stainless Steel Metaphors”
Sculpture by Preston Jackson installed “Stainless Steel Metaphors” in front of the Bradley University entryway in 1992.
The artist said he wanted to show a “predator and prey syndrome” in order to depict “what we, as society, have become.” Jackson was only able to illustrate this concept for a year on campus, as he said he was forced to move the sculpture to East Peoria after Bradley removed the piece from the Hilltop.
“Fifty years from now, this is going to be a very important piece,” Jackson said. “[Bradley is] going to find out later on that they piece should have remained here.”
Information from Special Collections Center and The Scout’s archives
