Luis Jimenez, the artist responsible for Las Gatos is also the visionary behind one of UMB’s most recognizable works of art The Steelworker.”He is a meeting place like a landmark you know.” Stated a student who was in a hurry.The beloved statue that so well captures the working class feel of UMB came to us again mostly through the efforts of Professor Paul Tucker. ” The steelworker was originally designed for the city of buffalo but it never made it there, instead it was at another university in Texas. The university needed to remove the statue due to construction and it was simply a matter of timing they wanted to get rid of it and we wanted it. Of course it was former art critic for the New York Times Michael Brenson who had originally put me in touch with Jimenez.”The Steelworker has been through many different stages. The original design has him shirtless, black and wearing a yellow helmet, as well as holding a wrench instead of his massive ladle. His redesign came because as Jimenez writes: “I started getting comments from the community that it was harder to identify with this man because he was dressed the way they did in the 1920’s rather than with all the protective gear they wore later on. I took that criticism to heart…I decided instead of a wrench I’d use a ladle because that was more part of the process…I did not use the black man after I realized that when blacks where brought into the steel mills it was as strikebreakers there was always some resentment about that and I did not want to rekindle it so I went back to a more generic guy…One day talking to a man who had worked in the mills he told me that yellow helmets indicated that the guy was a maintenance guy if I wanted a guy working with hot metal his helmet would have to be red…It probably doesn’t mean anything to most people but if you’re a steelworker it means a lot.”Today the massive Steelworker stands over 12 feet tall, standing strong against the elements, he is a symbol of the hardworking nature of the UMB student body. He stands tall and foreboding, his stern gazing following UMB students as they walk to their classes, play the occasional game of frisbee and catch up with friends. The industrial colors and sheer size gives him the feel of a protector, watching out for all of us on campus. He seems to have a life of his own even occasionally and has even been known to traveling; ” I remember the Steelworker from when I was a grad student here at UMB” began graduate of UMB and research scientist Joe Smith ” The Steelworker was here when I was in 2007, that year I went to Santa Barbara to do a research project and while I was there I was suddenly struck by a strange presence, as I turned to see what it was I was shocked to see the Steelworker, even stranger by the time I returned to UMB the Steelworker was back in his place on the plaza. Needless to say he is my favorite piece on campus.”
Steelworker
By Jacob Aguiar
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February 16, 2010
About the Writer
Jacob Aguiar served as the following positions for The Mass media the following years:
News Editor: 2011-2012; Fall 2012
Leisure Editor: 2010-2011