District fundraising for Viking statue
COLLEGEVILLE >> Perkiomen Valley School District’s Viking mascot has been a symbol of school pride for 50 years and plans are currently underway to raise money to construct and install a Viking statue to be on permanent display.
The district has announced it will be working with Dumay Gorham, a North Carolina-based artist who specializes in custom metal sculpture, to create a bronze statue based on a design by Perkiomen Valley High School art teacher, Robert Libby.
The two will work together over the coming months to finalize plans for a Viking that will stand outside the high school and no doubt become a selfie-worthy site for years to come.
The initiative to raise funds for this permanent statue began about a year ago, with an initial fundraising goal of $85,000. However, as costs, timeline, and the fundraising pace became more defined, the district decided to research ways in which to reduce overall project costs through changes in artistic design, materials and more.
With Gorham on board and further refinements to the project, the cost is now estimated at $60,000. So far, approximately $7,500 has been raised.
The district needs to raise at least $15,000 by the fall in order to engage Gorham’s services.
“We are excited about partnering with Mr. Gorham to build our Viking statue, and we are looking forward to engaging our community in this effort to install a permanent work of art on our high school campus that will stand as a symbol of Viking pride for many years,” said Tom Komp, Art Department chairperson and leader of the Viking statue fundraising initiative. “We hope everyone with a tie to our district will consider making a contribution to this project so that we can see it through to completion.”
Contributions to the fundraiser can be made online at perkiomen.revetrak.net/ pvsd-viking-statue/donation-group/ (a 2.49% service fee is applied).
Donations can also be sent by a form and check. Download the form by going to pvsd.org, selecting the “About” tab and then selecting “Viking Statue Fundraiser.”
To learn more about Dumay Gorham, visit: http:// w w w.dumaygorham.com/ To stay abreast of the viking statue fundraising initiative, like @vikingstatue on Facebook or follow @PvStatue on Twitter.