Texas State University will host a dedication of a larger-than-life sleeping bobcat art installation from 4 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 13 at Cibolo Hall on the San Marcos Campus. The artist, Matthew Mazzotta, will participate in the dedication.
The sculpture, titled “Local Habitat,” is more than 21 feet long, 11 feet deep and nearly 10 feet high. It is constructed of EPS foam and a polyurethane-urea hybrid coating on steel armature.
Directly referencing the university’s iconic bobcat mascot, the artist plays with the not-quite realistic scenario of animals inhabiting urban, domestic spaces, reminding us of our shared home and shared experiences. The playful sculpture, according to Mazzotta, symbolizes campus ideals and, hopefully, brings “a sense of peace, relaxation and home.”
Mazzotta, based in New York, works at the intersection of art, activism and urbanism. His public art projects have received international art and architecture awards such as the Architizer A+ Award, Azure’s AZ Award, CODA awards, WAN Award and Americans for the Arts. Mazzotta’s work has been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt-Smithsonian Design Museum.
