Gigantapithacus - Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

"A giant ape stands on all fours, as if walking. The bronze face is disproportionately small for the steel body. A metal pipe wraps around each foot and anchors it to the ground."

wikipedia
"Gigantopithecus... is an extinct genus of ape that existed from perhaps nine million years to as recently as one hundred thousand years ago, in what is now China, India, and Vietnam, placing Gigantopithecus in the same time frame and geographical location as several hominin species. The fossil record suggests that individuals of the species Gigantopithecus blacki were the largest known apes that ever lived, standing up to 3 m (9.8 ft), and weighing up to 540 kg (1,190 lb)."

Anderson Center "By 1974, the College catalog boasted that the Center, "provides facilities for a wide range of experiences including photography, video, foundry, jewelry and weaving in addition to the traditional areas such as ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and art history." By 1976, an Art major had been established, there were artists and craftsmen in residence, and cultural events and performances were regularly held at the Center."
(visit link)
""Gigantopithecus" is the work of Hartwick alumnus Kevin Andersen '87. It has stood behind Anderson Center for the Arts since 1987. It is named for an extinct primate discovered by paleoanthropologist Ralph von Koenigswald in 1935. In the popular imagination, Gigantopithecus has long been associated with "Big Foot," "Sasquatch" the "Yeti" and the "Abominable Snowman." Members of the Hartwick community have contributed to a body of folklore around "Gigantopithecus," including, for example, that he roams the streets of Oneonta at night in the spring time, or that he watches over Hartwick students returning to their residence halls at night."

TITLE: Gigantapithacus ARTIST(S): Anderson, Kevin DATE: 1987 MEDIUM: Steel, and bronze with green patina CONTROL NUMBER: IAS NY000387 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Hartwick College Anderson Center West Street Oneonta New York 13820 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: The write-up lacks the date 1987 and the meaning of the title, that of an ancient species of ape discovered in 1935.

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