The campus’ newest sculpture is now found in the same place its ancestors wandered 30,000 years prior. A 12-foot-tall creature was installed March 20, 2023, at the southwest corner of the Natural History Building (NHB). The sculpture, commissioned as a part of the State of Illinois’ Art in Architecture program was created by Rantoul-based exhibit design firm Taylor Studios. The NHB was once home to a museum that featured mammoth skeletons before undergoing a major renovation beginning in 2015.
2024 Updates:
The mammoth sculpture finds itself amongst some new additions. The new thoughtfully curated landscape not only enhances the area but offers homage to the mammoth’s past. F&S ironworkers also added a rock beneath the raised mammoth foot.
INSIDER Feature Stories:
https://fs.web.illinois.edu/Insider/2024/07/03/landscape-updates-to-the-mammoth-sculpture/
https://fs.web.illinois.edu/Insider/2023/03/23/our-mammoth-history/
Media Coverage:
https://www.wcia.com/news/ui-campus-welcomes-new-unique-statue-in-urbana/
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/university-illinois/life-size-woolly-mammoth-soon-to-be-uis-newest-landmark/article_669a6487-eb6a-52b3-85b3-ce17535b2eae.html
https://illinoisnewsroom.org/no-longer-ancient-history-woolly-mammoth-returns-to-university-of-illinois-for-the-first-time-in-over-10000-years/
Mammoth History from the Illinois State Geological Survey:
https://isgs.illinois.edu/node/92
Art in Architecture Program:
https://cdb.illinois.gov/professionalgrowth/art.html