Founder’s Court sculpture inspires during COVID-19 outbreak

"It occurs to me that the student is not looking at him - she’s looking at us," said Jeffrey Carlson, PhD - Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs at Dominican University

March 27, 2020

During the campus closure in response to the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak, Jeffrey Carlson, PhD took a moment to reflect on the “Inspiring Minds” sculpture located in Founder’s Court in front of Parmer Hall. The elegant bronze sculpture features three figures and a telescope, Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, a Sinsinawa Dominican sister, and a student. 



"It occurs to me that the student is not looking at him—she’s looking at us," said Carlson, who serves as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Dominican University.



About the “Inspiring Minds” sculpture (from Spring 2010 Dominican University magazine)



The sculpture portrays Fr. Mazzuchelli lecturing outdoors about the stars overhead, expressing the missioner’s enthusiasm and his love for people. The figure of the student sitting on the ground symbolizes his curiosity and fascination with the beauty of the natural world. The sister symbolizes his self-discipline and focus on God’s work. The telescope symbolizes his interest in scientific observation.



The sculpture was commissioned by and presented to the university in November 2009 by alumna Renee A. Borra ’64 and Pier C. Borra, a former university trustee. In reading about Fr. Mazzuchelli, sculptor Michael Martino says “I was impressed not only with his faith but also with his ability to balance enthusiasm, curiosity, and love of life with the rigor of a loving self-discipline and an austere lifestyle. That balance focused his energy toward God’s work with a wide variety of people.”