University museums curator Sydney Marshall removes protective wrapping from the replicated maidens before they were lifted into place around the fountain in early August. Photo by Christopher Gannon.
A nearly two-year process to replicate the maidens in Christian Petersen's Fountain of the Four Seasons sculpture will conclude with a rededication ceremony on Friday, Oct. 4 (1:30-2 p.m.). President Wendy Wintersteen and student government president Martin Hursh will speak at the ceremony, near the north entrance of the Memorial Union. All are invited.
Eighty years of rain, ice and wind eroded the limestone surfaces of Petersen's original four maidens and necessitated a solution before all the intricate detail was lost. Replicas of the four maidens were created in the likeness and spirit of Petersen's 1940 originals, which were removed in November 2022. The new maidens were placed in their posts Aug. 5. The concrete fountain pool also was replaced due to deterioration from the elements and the weight of the fountainhead.
"What people will see, probably for the first time in our lifetime, is the full detail of the fountainhead and maidens," said university museums director Lynette Pohlman. "The original maidens will go into our permanent collection storage and will be used in exhibitions in campus museums."
Those in attendance Friday afternoon also will see the fountain turned back on for the first time this semester. Pohlman said one of the original maidens will be displayed during the rededication so people can compare it to the detailed replicas.
"This was done for the students and Iowa State," she said. "It is Iowa State's most iconic public work of art that represents agriculture, the founding of Iowa State and the state of Iowa."
