Upon entering the Lory Student Center this spring, visitors will notice a distinctive new feature hanging above their heads. The distinctive Ram Head installation is the first of its kind, built with 4,213 acrylic rods – 2,782 green and 1,431 clear – and suspended from the ceiling by four stainless steel rods.
The artwork was conceptualized and brought to fruition over the course of a year, including the nearly 70 hours it took to install the piece in the student center.
Weighing roughly 1,650 pounds, the 12-foot-diameter piece is held together by two half-moon frames, cradling a polycarbonate template that holds the rods in place. Because of the student center’s curved ceiling, every rod on the chandelier sits at a 15-degree angle. And despite what everyone thinks, it is not a chandelier — the Ram Head is lit only by ambient light from nearby windows.
“It’s a huge focal point for this building. It was challenging to take it from a conception to where it’s something you’re actually able to fabricate,” said Scott Osmun, a lead craftsman for Xibitz, an organization that specializes in designing experiential spaces.
The Ram Head – just one of many new features throughout the building, including the Land-Grant and Research walls – is designed to reflect the University’s history, mission, values and spirit.
“Early on in our revitalization planning efforts, we determined that it would be important for the completed project to reflect CSU’s values and rich history,” said Mike Ellis, executive director of the Lory Student Center. “Ram pride was, of course, among our selected stories to tell, and what better way to demonstrate this than having the face of CAM greet you upon entering the LSC?”
