2010 Special Olympics National Games Cauldron
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http://m.desmoinesregister.com/news.jsp?key=690036&rc=ent
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_33865493-ff2c-50cb-b434-f33573bd3956.html
2010 Special Olympics National Games Cauldron
UNI prof's torch set to blaze today
MICHAEL MORAIN
desmoinesregister.com
The sculptor Dan Perry plans to watch someone set one of his pieces on fire today - and he won't mind a bit. That's because he's part of the team from the University of Northern Iowa that was commissioned to design and build the 12-foot cauldron for the Special Olympics USA National Games, which begin today and continue through Friday in Lincoln, Neb. If everything goes according to plan, a torchbearer will light the cauldron during the opening ceremony at 3 p.m. today. (Watch it live online at www.2010specialolympics.org.)
Perry, who teaches sculpture at UNI, heard of the cauldron project from one of his former professors at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He sent an application in February but not until May did he learn he'd won the bid, for about $13,500. "There was about a week of panic," he said. "Can we really do this? Can we really squeeze this in the time frame?" He recruited recent UNI graduate Beth Nybeck to help with the construction, and enlisted guidance from fellow UNI sculpture professor Tom Stancliffe. Together, they used a computer program to guide a plasma torch that cut through sheets of stainless steel. Then they welded the pieces together to form the cauldron, which is modeled after the gestural torch in this year's National Games logo.
"It's a pretty organic form," Perry said. "When you're using something like sheet metal, it's hard to get it just right, especially if you're not casting anything. So our version is a little more geometric." When it was finished, the team called in a pyrotechnic specialist to help with a practice run. A small fuel box in the top of the cauldron was connected to a propane tank, which worked pretty much like a gas grill, Perry said. The only differences today will involve the propane tank, which will be placed about 100 yards away, and the size of the audience. Nearly 3,000 athletes, 1,000 coaches, 8,000 volunteers and 15,000 family members and friends are expected to attend the weeklong event. "I'll be a little nervous," Perry said. "But I'll be interested to see people's reactions."
MICHAEL MORAIN
desmoinesregister.com
The sculptor Dan Perry plans to watch someone set one of his pieces on fire today - and he won't mind a bit. That's because he's part of the team from the University of Northern Iowa that was commissioned to design and build the 12-foot cauldron for the Special Olympics USA National Games, which begin today and continue through Friday in Lincoln, Neb. If everything goes according to plan, a torchbearer will light the cauldron during the opening ceremony at 3 p.m. today. (Watch it live online at www.2010specialolympics.org.)
Perry, who teaches sculpture at UNI, heard of the cauldron project from one of his former professors at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He sent an application in February but not until May did he learn he'd won the bid, for about $13,500. "There was about a week of panic," he said. "Can we really do this? Can we really squeeze this in the time frame?" He recruited recent UNI graduate Beth Nybeck to help with the construction, and enlisted guidance from fellow UNI sculpture professor Tom Stancliffe. Together, they used a computer program to guide a plasma torch that cut through sheets of stainless steel. Then they welded the pieces together to form the cauldron, which is modeled after the gestural torch in this year's National Games logo.
"It's a pretty organic form," Perry said. "When you're using something like sheet metal, it's hard to get it just right, especially if you're not casting anything. So our version is a little more geometric." When it was finished, the team called in a pyrotechnic specialist to help with a practice run. A small fuel box in the top of the cauldron was connected to a propane tank, which worked pretty much like a gas grill, Perry said. The only differences today will involve the propane tank, which will be placed about 100 yards away, and the size of the audience. Nearly 3,000 athletes, 1,000 coaches, 8,000 volunteers and 15,000 family members and friends are expected to attend the weeklong event. "I'll be a little nervous," Perry said. "But I'll be interested to see people's reactions."
