MASSILLON ‒ Piece by piece, Samantha Kaufman meticulously attached another piece of stainless steel to the massive exoskeleton inside her classroom at R.G. Drage.
She is among a group of senior welding students helping to bring a one-of-a-kind sculpture to Fairless Local Schools.
The welding students, along with help from Canton artist Patrick Buckohr, are bringing to life an 8-foot falcon that will reign over the Brewster campus at Fairless.
A long flight for the Fairless Falcon sculpture
It’s a project in the making for two and a half years. There’s been some bumps in the road but it’s finally taking shape with each weld.
It all started when Fairless Superintendent Mike Hearn visited Sandy Valley High for his son’s cross-country meet. He spotted the district’s mascot – a large cardinal – as a statue outside of the building.
“I remember seeing it and thinking that’s a really cool thing to have to build school pride,” Hearn said. “The kids and the community probably love it.”
He mentioned the cardinal to Fairless alum and R.G. Drage welding instructor Scott Burdge. Maybe they could have something like it?
Canton artist Patrick Buckohr watches as R.G. Drage welding students work to attach stainless steel feathers to a portion of a wing. Buckohr and the students have been tasked with creating an 8-by-16 soaring falcon sculpture that will sit on the grounds of the Fairless Local School campus in Brewster.
When Hearn returned to Sandy Valley the following year, he snapped a picture of the cardinal. He had to find a way to make the falcon a reality.
Brainstorming the project’s possibility, Hearn once again turned to Burdge. Burdge, a member of the Fairless Hall of Honor and an active member of the Fairless Alumni Association, suggested his students help.
Who is paying to build the Fairless Falcon sculpture?
They secured a grant from ArtsinStark for an artist and began the design process.
They began working with Jim Friedrichsen, a Navarre-area blacksmith and owner of Iron Orchid Forge, until he died unexpectedly last year.
Burdge contacted Buckohr, who has several large-scale metal sculptures around Stark County, including the large metal pieces at Marlington High and Sandy Valley High.
Buckohr created a new design and a model as organizers began seeking donations.
Burdge estimates materials cost around $10,000 but several donors stepped up to provide materials and labor, including Compass Systems of Barberton, Midlake Products of Louisville, Brewster Dairy, Ohio Drilling Co. of Massillon and Mel Wacker Signs.
Canton artist Patrick Buckohr created this model of a soaring falcon. Buckohr, with the assistance of R.G. Drage students, is fabricating a large falcon sculpture from stainless steel for Fairless Local Schools.
With donated materials in hand, Buckhor spends two days a week at Drage working with senior welding students to put the soaring falcon together. They hope to finish by then end of the school year.
Burdge had hoped to use only Fairless students for the project but had to enlist help from other schools because many of his welding students have jobs that take them away from the classroom.
When completed, the stainless steel falcon will stand 8 feet tall and its wing span from tip to tip will be 16 feet. It will sit on an 11-foot base.
The soaring falcon will sit in a courtyard between the athletic and academic wings of the district’s new high school. The courtyard leads into Brideweser Stadium.
“For folks visiting our stadium, it will be a prominent feature,” Hearn said. “It will be visible from Seventh Street and classrooms. We have graduation in the stadium and I see the falcon prominent in pictures.”
Students in R.G. Drage’s engineering program use drafting software to make templates used to cut the stainless steel pieces on the plasma cutter for the soaring falcon sculpture.
A long-lasting piece of art
Burdge also enlisted the help of students in the engineering programs.
Using butcher block paper, templates were made for each feather that will adorn the falcon’s wings. Each piece of paper was labeled and given to the engineering students who determined the dimensions and fed the information into the drafting software using a CAD to create life-sized templates. Those were used to cut the stainless steel on the plasma cutter.
Welding students at R.G. Drage are joined by artist Patrick Buckohr to fabricate an 8-foot soaring falcon sculpture that will sit on the grounds of the Fairless Local School campus in Brewster.
Carter Gardiner is among those taking turns at welding the falcon.
“It’s cool to be a part of it,” the 18-year-old said. “It means a lot. It will be up for years and I will be able to see it and say I helped create that.”
Fellow Fairless student Preston Cusano shared his classmate’s excitement.
“It will be up for 50, 60, 70 years and never taken down,” the 17-year-old added. “It’s not just cool because it’s my school. I just can’t wait to see it (in place).”
Despite never working with high school-aged students, Buckhor is enjoying the challenge.
“I used to teach elementary art but there was no fabrication,” he said. “They know more than I do and it makes it very easy to come in and help direct them.”
Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
This article originally appeared on The Independent: RG Drage welding students making falcon sculpture for Fairless Schools