Alma Mater May Return to U Of I Campus In April

A famous bronze sculpture could return to the University of Illinois campus in Champaign next month after undergoing a $360,000 restoration.

The five-ton Alma Mater sculpture was removed in 2012 and has been undergoing extensive repairs for water damage and corrosion.
 
The News-Gazette reports the 85-year-old piece will be returned to campus in April, although no official date has been set.
 
James Lev is chairman of the campus Architectural Review Committee. He says the statue showing a robed woman flanked by figures celebrating "Learning'' and "Labor'' "looks good.'' He believes people will "be really pleased with the results.''
 
 The piece was created in 1929 by artist Lorado Taft and was a long-standing fixture at Wright and Green streets on campus.