A new Victor E. Huskie statue was unveiled in downtown DeKalb. While a nice gesture, it’s ugly.
The statue is a painted Victor E. mascot holding up the Huskie hand symbol. However, the statue isn’t even a 1:1 recreation. It is significantly shorter than the mascot, making it look even less impressive than it could have.
The statue falls short of the mascot’s look, literally, and doesn’t give any respectable grandeur to the street. It’s a juvenile rendition of a dog, not a representation of pride for the university.
“I don’t like his face, it seems off, kind of like ‘uncanny valley,’” said Elijah Freet, a sophomore double majoring in political science and communications.
Some students the Northern Star attempted to interview hadn’t seen or heard of the statue.
Other students, like senior nutrition and dietetics major Karla Flores, think positively of the statue, but in a cutesy, funny way, not in a way they think the statue is done artistically well.
“From pictures that I’ve seen, he’s a cutie, I love him, I love that he’s, like, I don’t know where it is in downtown DeKalb, but it’s just funny, but it didn’t look the best made,” Flores said.
Besides aesthetic issues, the choice to make the statue painted could raise issues for its durability. It’s possible that over time the color could fade, or the paint could chip.
Dania Vargas, senior human resource major, said she likes the mascot painted the way it is.
“I think it’s cute. I think it looks more handcrafted in the sense it gives it more of a personality when it’s painted,” Vargas said.
The statue was not made by anyone associated with NIU. It was commissioned from Icon Poly, a fabrication company located all the way in Nebraska. The statue was funded philanthropically by the First National Bank of Omaha.
Instead of relying on people with no association to NIU to create a permanent representation of the school, NIU should have worked with more local artists.
The people in charge of creating this statue don’t have to look at it, we do. That’s why the students should’ve in charge of creating something that isn’t an eyesore. Jack Arends Hall is filled with artists who have talent and many creative ideas. In the future, these students should be asked to help design upcoming projects.
Even the Victor E. Huskie fire hydrant looked better. The hydrant sits in front of Keg and Kernel and was decorated as part of the Paint-a-Plug program. While also a painted version of the mascot, the hydrant is supposed to be fun, unlike a statue which should instill more pride in the university.
Even if the statue is ugly, it could still garner student attention, which could be good for DeKalb.
“I think it’s a good way to get students out to DeKalb. Like, oh my god, there’s a new statue, let’s go take a picture,” said Jocelyn Capetillo, a senior human development and family sciences major.
Although it makes a good potential photo op, a picture would turn out much better if the statue itself was photogenic.
In the future, NIU could create something a bit more classic instead of this garish painted statue. Something like a bronze statue is timeless and could look much better.
