The Alma Mater is a bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 statue

Statue

A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...

 located on the campus

Campus

A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...

 of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

. The long flowerbed stretching from the front of the Alma Mater to the corner of Green Street and Wright Street is known as the Alma Mater Plaza. There are two inscriptions in granite, that read "To thy happy children of the future, those of the past send greetings" and "Her children arise up and call her Blessed" Proverbs 31-28. The main figure is a mother-figure wearing academic robes and is flanked by two other figures representing "Learning" (to her left) and "Labor" (to her right), after the University's motto "Learning and Labor."

History

Conceived in 1922, the Alma Mater was cast in 1929 by the American Art Bronze Foundry and paid for by donations by the Alumni Fund and the classes of 1923-1929. The statue was designed by sculptor Lorado Taft

Lorado Taft

Lorado Zadoc Taft was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Taft was born in Elmwood, Illinois in 1860 and died in his home studio in Chicago in 1936.-Early years and education:...

, a university graduate. Taft, whose father was the first geology professor at the University, lived for many years at 601 E. John Street, less than two blocks from the current site of the statue.

The statue was originally located behind the Foellinger Auditorium

Foellinger Auditorium

Foellinger Auditorium is a building located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus in Urbana, Illinois. It is the southernmost building on the main quad, and is directly across the quad from the Illini Union. Its sheer size and its dome shape make it one university’s most...

. On August 22, 1962, the Alumni Association moved the sculpture to its present location in front of Altgeld Hall

Altgeld Hall

Altgeld Hall, built in 1897 on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, United States, is home to the Department of Mathematics and the Mathematics Library. Altgeld Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. A feature of Altgeld Hall is the University Chime...

.

Symbol

The Alma Mater has been a symbol for the University. The statue is featured on the new i-Card (starting 2007), the official university identification card for the Urbana-Champaign campus.

In 2005, during the Final Four

2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St...

, the Alma Mater sported an Illini jersey.

In 2007, the Alma Mater was decorated with a variety of red, orange, and blue roses to signify the Illinois football team's Rose Bowl

Rose Bowl Game

The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...

 appearance.

In 2010, the Alma Mater was decorated with a UIUC cap and gown custom-made by Herff Jones

Herff Jones

Herff Jones Company manufactures and sells educational recognition and achievement products and motivational materials, and has been in continuous operation for 90 years. Herff Jones maintains production facilities across the United States as well as in Canada....

to signify the University's graduation exercises.

External links

• Save Outdoor Sculpture Survey of Alma Mater