About the artwork
Tom Morandi
Yankee Champion, 1985
Dimensions(h x w x d): 15' x 12' x 12'
Stainless steel
Located in courtyard north of Science Building 1
Weighing about 1.5 tons and standing about 13 feet high, Yankee Champion is constructed entirely of welded stainless steel. Artist Tom Morandi worked on the piece from 1983–1985, and it was dedicated in its original location to the Professional Schools Building on October 24th, 1985. In 2015, the sculpture was relocated to the plaza outside Science Building 1 on Montgomery Street. Morandi describes Yankee Champion's concept as minimalist, with its focus being on form and materials; "[t]he lyrically abstract nature of its components is discreetly balanced by the delicately interlocking joints in the upper sections, thus offering a visual acknowledgement of the complex amalgam of humankind and technology required of a contemporary university."
About the artist
Tom Morandi received a BS in Art Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1966 and an MFA in Sculpture from Ohio University in 1971. Tom has held various teaching positions at universities both in Oregon and across the United States, while exhibiting nationally and becoming an integral member of the Oregon arts community.
See more of Tom's work on his website.
This work was acquired through Oregon's Percent for Art in Public Places Program, managed by the Oregon Arts Commission.
Banner image: Photo by Bryce Henry.