MOUNT VERNON — It gave greater visibility to Grant Wood and was right for the Wright Brothers’ powered flight centennial, so Cornell College hopes its public art project, “Rams All Around,” will attract visitors to Mount Vernon to share in the college’s sesquicentennial celebration.
Large wood cutout rams — the Cornell mascot — were adopted by 73 individuals, organizations or businesses who have decorated and will display the animals on campus and throughout Mount Vernon for Cornell’s homecoming. Forty-two “community rams” will be displayed outside sponsoring businesses Oct. 13-19, during normal business hours. Maps identifying the sponsors are available at Mount Vernon City Hall or any of the sponsoring locations. Among the entries are Bridge Community Bank’s “Uncle Ram,” painted in a U.S. flag motif, and “Ulysses in the Fleece,” covered in white fur by sponsor Coldwell Banker/Lee’s Town and Country.
Thirty-one “campus rams” sponsored by college groups will graze on the Hilltop Terrace west of King Chapel from noon to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, and along Cornell’s pedestrian mall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. Campus rams include the admission office’s “Ram McNally,” dressed in maps, and “Earl N. Meyer,” sponsored by the chemistry department.
“We were looking for a fun, lighthearted project that would really bring campus and community residents together in celebration, and we were inspired by Cedar Rapids’ ‘Overalls All Over’ and ‘Fly Wright’ projects as well as other public art events in Chicago and Seattle,” says Jennifer Boettger, chair of the “Rams All Around” committee.
Sponsors reserved rams for $20 to cover the cost of materials. The college recruited several woodcutters — including Cornell President Les Garner and Mount Vernon resident and semi-retired appellate court justice David Hansen — to build the herd.
“The enormous enthusiasm and creativity given to this project speaks volumes about the Mount Vernon community and Cornell College as a whole. They have been amazing,” Boettger says.
Unlike other public art projects, the sponsors will retain their rams after homecoming. Some plan to display their rams for the remainder of the sesquicentennial celebration, or at least annually at Mount Vernon’s summer Heritage Days celebration.