Written by: Reagan Blake
A large crate mysteriously showed up at Southern Adventist University’s campus over a year ago with a skeletal sculpture of a T-rex head that will soon be placed at the entrance to the Origins Museum at Hickman Science Center.
The permanent art piece was donated by an anonymous alumnus who “wanted to highlight our Christian education perspective on antediluvian species and intelligent design while giving the campus something neat artistically,” stated Ellen Hostetler, vice president for Advancement, in an email to the Accent.
After looking for the most meaningful place to locate the T-rex, Southern’s art committee decided on the exterior entrance to the museum, located on the second floor of the university’s science center, according to Marty Hamilton, vice president of financial administration and a member of the Art Committee.
“Sometimes we work on these projects, and it’s like ‘You wanna do what?’” Hamilton said. “But the more we got into it, the more we agreed it could be a nice little feature for the science center and a sculpture that would kind of lead you into the Origins Museum; so ultimately it made more sense.”
Mark Antone, Southern’s Landscape Services director, is currently working on getting the platform foundation designed. He has surrounded the area with big rocks and is adding plants around the platform to give the appearance of a head peeking up from the ground. Hamilton stated he expects the art piece to be installed in March.
Hostetler sent a copy of the wording that will be on the plaque next to the T-rex sculpture: “Up to 40 feet in length and weighing approximately eight tons, Tyrannosaurus rex was among the largest of the scavengers and predators found in the geologic column. Have you ever wondered if this and other fossil species really show evolution over millions of years? We invite you to our Origins Exhibit just inside Hickman Hall to consider another explanation—one with biblical support.”
