Dobson & Dault

Ready To Lead

This larger than life size bronze Siberian Tiger sits atop a glacier rock at the entrance of the Career Tech High School in Mat-Su Alaska. It is the school mascot and was cast at Bollinger Atelier in Tempe, Arizona.

Award Category
1% For Public Art Award
Commission Year
2009
Client
Career & Technical High School

In the Mat-Su Valley a new Career and Technical High School was constructed.  The architecture of the school was patterned after glacial topography.

The mission of the CTHS is to create leaders in careers specializing in construction, nursing, fire science, tourist industry, culinary arts, etc.

Our design concepts revolved around a traditional life like school mascot of the Siberian tiger in various poses.  The committee liked our concept, but changed the  location, the pose and also wanted to have final say on the boulder.  We decided on a reclining, but alert pose with the title “Ready to Lead”.  The life size Siberian tiger was placed on the glacial erratic boulder by the flagpoles at the entrance to the school.  It waits on guard to greet students who are “ready to lead” as they enter the school.

We created the life size tiger in plasticene clay and shipped it frozen in a crate to Bollinger Atelier (formerly Arizona Bronze) in Tempe, Arizona  where we  cast it  in bronze using the lost wax process.   Placement of the sculpture was completed January 1, 2009 and greeted the students as they returned from holiday break.