January 4, 2007
AMES, Iowa - Norma "Duffy" Lyon, known for her many butter sculptures of cows and personalities for the Iowa State Fair, has created a bronze sculpture of a cow for the new Iowa State University Dairy Farm.
Jersey Jewel is the name of the sculpture that was unveiled in a ceremony Dec. 8 in Kildee Hall, home of the animal science department. Lyon, an animal science alumna, completed the work to be installed on the lawn at the Dairy/Animal Science Education and Discovery Facility when it is completed this year.
The life-sized sculpture will be placed at the new farm in front of the Learning Center, which is the main building. It will remain in the Kildee Hall atrium until the farm is finished in late summer or early fall.
Lyon of Toledo sculpted butter cows, people and objects at the Iowa State Fair for 46 years before retiring in 2006. She earned a bachelor's degree in animal science in 1951 from Iowa State.
While Lyon attended Iowa State, she studied with artist-in-residence Christian Petersen, said Lynette Pohlman, director of Iowa State University Museums. In 2000, Lyon recreated Petersen's sculpture "Gentle Doctor" in butter at the Iowa State Fair in honor of the major retrospective exhibition, Christian Petersen Sculptor presented at the Brunnier Art Museum. During Petersen's 21-year tenure (1933-1955) at Iowa State, he often conducted sculpting demonstrations at the Iowa State Fair.
Jersey Jewel began as clay. Lyon, with the assistance of her teenage grandson, Todd Lyon, hand-molded clay onto a metal frame that supported the sculpture's weight. After six months of sculpting, Jersey Jewel was transported in July by Iowa State's Central Stores to Polich Art Foundry, in Rock Tavern, N.Y. to be cast in bronze, Pohlman said.
Lyon said her inspiration came from the breed of cows she and her husband, Joe, raise and milk on their dairy farm. She said she is "thrilled" with the final product and never thought when she worked with Petersen that she would have a sculpture displayed on campus. Lyon said she also is gratified that unlike her butter sculptures, this one will last longer than a couple weeks.
The animal science department found support from the dairy Swiss Valley Farms to commission this public work of art. Jersey Jewel is in the Iowa State Art on Campus Collection, the nation's largest campus public art collection