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New sculpture captures spirit
of the late Dr. Kevin Anderson

The sculpture, titled "Cycle," is located inside the courtyard adjacent to the Small Animal Hospital.

By Sarah Carey

To members of the Class of 2011, the late Dr. Kevin Anderson, their freshman anatomy professor, will always remain a moving force in their lives as a symbol of compassion and mentorship; as a role model for a healthy lifestyle and as a key facilitator into the world of veterinary medicine.

To honor Anderson, the class sponsored a memorial sculpture competition, which was open to all current students and alumni of the UF College of Fine Arts’ School of Art and Art History. The result was “Cycle,” a large-scale, iron sculpture created by Leslie Tharp, a 2008 UF graduate. The new artwork was unveiled and dedicated May 26 in the courtyard outside of the new UF Small Animal Hospital.

The 10-foot-high sculpture spirals upwards and is a compilation of moving animals – a crawling turtle, a walking iguana, a jumping cat, a running dog, a hopping rabbit, a flying owl and a soaring parakeet  —  and a bicyclist cycling just below the dog.

The image of the cyclist and the dog are on the same side of the sculpture and can be seen in relationship to each other from every angle the sculpture is viewed. The dog’s outline  is a Jack Russell terrier resembling Anderson’s dog, Chico.

“We hope that people passing by will see two things when they look at the sculpture,” said Tricia Fiebrandt, who was class treasurer and served along with Ruth West and Shannon Roff on the committee of students who coordinated the competition.

Tricia Fiebrandt, Shannon Roff and Ruth West all served on the committee that coordinated the sculpture competition. West is shown with the late Dr. Kevin Anderson's dog, Chico.

“They will note the varied species traveling within the spiral and remember what a wonderful profession we are a part of. Even on our hardest, most exhausting days, it will help us remember it is all worth it because we are working for the health and happiness of these animals.”

Fiebrandt added, “We also hope passersby will see the bicyclist and remember a wonderful man who left an impact on all the students who learned under him. Thank you, Dr. Anderson, for all you’ve done for your students. Thank you to the college for helping us with our education and training, and thank you, Leslie, for your beautiful creation and all your hard work.”

Tharp said she had attempted to represent Anderson’s love of bicycle riding, as well as the beauty and strength of the human body and a variety of animals in stages of movement. She also tried to capture the memory of Dr. Anderson surrounded by his dog, Chico, and many other species he dedicated his life to helping.

Several people gathered in the courtyard May 26 for the new sculpture dedication.

“The sculpture will be large enough to interact with the space of the viewer and may be entered by the viewer,” Tharp said. “The viewer will have a space of more than 3 feet wide and 6.5 feet tall to enter the spiral created by the sculpture. Surrounded by lines of movement and outlines of different species in motion, the viewer will be more connected and engaged to the sculpture than possible from afar.”