As part of the celebration of Indiana University’s Bicentennial, one of the iconic symbols of the Kokomo campus is receiving a long-needed makeover from expert sculpture conservators.
Giorgio Gikas, founder and president of Venus Bronze Works Inc., and his crew are restoring “Phoenix Rising from the Ashes,” the sculpture more commonly called The Phoenix.
Gikas previously worked to restore the Victory sculpture at the top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis.
The project presents unique challenges because of the materials used to create the sculpture. While the wing is made from stainless steel, Hamilton used concrete on the body with steel mesh to hold it together. Weather conditions and aging cause the steel to expand and contract, cracking the concrete and creating holes that then allow water to infiltrate the structure.
Gikas and his colleagues will fill the cracks and holes with a special epoxy for sculpture, that will bond existing concrete and other parts. They will sand it down and repaint the body, and also will clean and polish the stainless steel wing. The base also will be repaired and cleaned.
Work is expected to take one or two weeks.
