''Sun God'' is a monumental statue by French-American sculptor

Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculp ...

, located on the campus of the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

. The figurative sculpture is a multicolored bird-like creature, perched atop a tall

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

-shaped, vine-covered concrete pedestal. Erected in February 1983 as the first of the

Stuart Collection The Stuart Collection is a collection of public art on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. Founded in 1981, the Stuart Collection's goal is to spread commissioned sculpture throughout the campus, including both traditional scu ...

of public art projects, the polyester and fiberglass ''Sun God'' has become a notable feature of the UC San Diego campus, with many traditions surrounding the statue. It is located on a grassy area between the Faculty Club and Mandeville Auditorium, East of

John Muir College John Muir College is one of the eight undergraduate colleges at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The college is named after John Muir, the environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club. It has a humanitarian emphasis focused o ...

and Sixth College. Since the 1980s, the UC San Diego Associated Students Concerts & Events division has sponsored an annual event, the

Sun God Festival The Sun God Festival is an annual campus festival at the University of California, San Diego. Its name references ''Sun God (statue), Sun God'', an on-campus statue by French artist Niki de Saint Phalle. The festival takes place every spring quart ...

, with the statue as its official

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

. Over the years, numerous students have accessorized the statue with items such as sunglasses; a

cap and gown Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary (and sometimes secondary) education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree (or similar), or hold a status that entitles them to assum ...

; an ID card; a large, water-spraying

phallus A phallus (: phalli or phalluses) is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history, a figure with an erect penis is described as ''ithyphallic''. Any object that symbo ...

; and even a nest with eggs painted in the statue's trademark bright colors.Hardie, Raymond. ''UCSD Alumni Magazine''. May 2006, Volume 3, Number 2.
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References

External links

photo gallery {{coord, 32, 52, 42.76, N, 117, 14, 23.08, W, display=title 1983 sculptures Fiberglass sculptures in California 1983 establishments in California Stuart Collection Sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle