University of Montevallo’s 125th Anniversary

By Marc S. Goldstein

On the bottom is a handmade bronze sculpture to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the University of Montevallo. On the top is Nelson Grice, the UM alumnus who created the piece. On the bottom is a handmade bronze sculpture to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the University of Montevallo.

Nelson Grice, a University of Montevallo (UM) alumnus, is creating handmade bronze pieces of art to commemorate the fact that 2021 is the 125th year that the University of Montevallo has been in existence. The university has commissioned Grice to make a limited number of 125 sculptures in honor of the anniversary.

To create the commemorative piece, Nelson Grice walked around the campus to draw on its for inspiration. To best represent it, he included several of its iconic symbols. The top portion of the bronze sculpture is a 6” shape on a 1” foundation that is in the shaped of a brick to commemorate the brick roads that run through the campus.

When designing the top of the piece, on the front Grice included the university’s seal and “1896”, which is the year the university began. On the back, he included the Palmer’s gates where one enters the campus. A falcon is perched on the top of the gates. As part of the gates, he included the “Class of 1967” as part of the history since the students of that year were the ones who funded the gates. On the lower right are “2021” and “125 Years” in memory of this year’s anniversary.

On the lower left of the back is a ginkgo leaf to commemorate the tree that is located a Reynolds Hall. Grice wanted to include it because that tree is the oldest one on campus and is, in fact, older than the university. He stated, “Actually, they’ve brought a tree surgeon in and they’re trying to save it. The fact that it’s dying is why it was so important for me to kind of immortalize that tree by putting that leaf on the piece as a part of Montevallo’s history.”

Grice said that the process to create each of the bronze pieces was quite lengthy. To make the prototype, he had to first make a cast of the piece in clay. He then made a rubber mold which he filled with wax. He pulled out the wax and cast it in bronze. It took Grice over two weeks to make the prototype. Now it takes about 10 – 12 hours to make each of the pieces. So far he has made almost 50 of the pieces.  He said that he hoped to be finished with all 125 pieces by Christmas. Grice stated that each piece is being sold by the university for $250. He said similar handmade bronze sculptures would cost $500-$600 at an art gallery.

Nelson Grice received both his Bachelor of Fine Arts (1994) and his Masters in Education (1996) from the University of Montevallo. He has recently retired from teaching art at Hoover High School. He stated, “I just love the university and I like being able to participate in something like this. It’s pretty special.” He said that he was honored to be contacted to make the commemorative bronze sculptures for the university that provided him his education. He continued, “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the Art Department.” When asked what he planned to do after finishing this project, Grice said that next summer he is to begin a large-scale outdoor bronze sculpture at the UM Art Center.

UM graduate Shai Hunter said, “The sculpture is so true to details. I feel proud to be part of a university that has such a long and distinguished history.”

The University of Montevallo has commissioned 125 of the handmade bronze sculptures to commemorate the 125th anniversary that the school has been in existence. Each piece is being sold for $250. To order one of these pieces of the university’s history, visit Montevallo.edu/un125 or call (205) 665-6215.