By Paula Benfer
Art Teacher
Troy City Schools

When I saw André Odermatt, President of Hobart Institute of Welding and Technology, at the ribbon cutting ceremony of the “Guardian Steed,” he was grinning ear to ear.  I didn’t fully appreciate his enthusiasm until, in a later conversation, he revealed to me, “Paula, when you first came to my office with this dream, I thought, ‘does this woman know what she is getting herself into’?”  That evening, he said, he even told his wife, “I don’t have a clue if she knows what she is talking about!”  Later, at the ribbon cutting, after the dream had come true, André was delighted to see that indeed, one crazy art teacher, a guest metal sculptor, sixteen high school advanced art students, and a philanthropic community could “get the job done!”

Troy City Schools is located in a community that is blessed with citizens and organizations who want to be in partnership with the schools.  It was in the spring of 2007 that I submitted a grant to The Troy Foundation.  In part, two aspects of support were granted with the approval of the grant in July.  One, I would be able to help my students create the first metal sculpture ever located on school property; and two, with careful allocation of funding, I would be able to add to the K-12

artist-in-residency fund.  The sculpture had the support of my administration and the study of Greek art was broad enough to encapsulate all of the goals and benchmarks for visual art education, set forth in the district, state, and national standards.  By matching grant money with community donations, the seed money designated by The Troy Foundation, would become the fulfillment of a dream.  Unlike music and athletics, which both have their own booster organizations, the visual arts had no fund which could be tapped for residencies, museum trips, or innovative curricular ideas.  So the $10,000 allocation was a “windfall.”

In late spring, I sought the advice of André Odermatt; I listened carefully to his coaching and recognized that I was being given cautious encouragement.  I had taken sculpture in college, and I am a National Board Certified Teacher, but I had never welded metal.  I knew enough to listen to an expert.  It was André who gave me a practical plan of action on which to proceed.  I contacted the Troy Chamber of Commerce, writing letters to all heavy metal industries in the area.  Hobart Institute of Welding and Technology pledged to provide a plasma cutter, welding leathers, and an oxygen rig.  I purchased welding screens and safety equipment through Weiler Welding.  Dave Enneking of Hobart Brothers Company loaned Troy High School two Hobart MIG welders, and he even gave me private welding lessons!  In the mean time, I climbed through scrap piles throughout the county to find four antique, cast iron wheels for the platform. 

By the time school commenced in late August, the temperatures were some of the hottest on record.  The day the district dismissed early and no one was there to help, I had three truckloads of 12 gauge steel, expanded metal, and brass scrap being delivered.  In all, we received about $3000 worth of scrap metal from Aerovent of Covington, Ohio; Indian Creek Fabricators, Tipp City; Kerber Sheet Metal Works Inc., Troy; Raymath Co. Inc., Troy; and Stillwater Technologies Inc., of Troy, Ohio.  Later we also received donations from Ernst Concrete and Dan Dalton of Troy for the foundation platform, another $1200 worth of contributions.  And the final finish to the sculpture itself was provided from Aesthetic Finishers of Piqua, Ohio; they used three powder coat finishes selected by the students for the final presentation.  In addition, the Troy City Schools provided equipment and labor from the maintenance department, and they assisted with costs for safety, publicity, and the ribbon cutting ceremony on November 8, 2007

Visual art is a “lens” through which all other learning comes into focus.  I wanted to involve all of my one hundred and fifty first semester students in this experience.  There was a sense that we were going to change local and school history; they all needed to be a piece of that.  So on the second day of school, I began to teach lessons that would layer together into a unit on Greek Art.

I asked big questions.  What was unique about the Greek cultures which still shape us today?

What is the purpose of a mascot?  What is the history of the Trojan Horse?  How can symbols shape a vision and change history?  How can we take the art from the past and reinterpret it for contemporary times? 

To help in this investigation I involved international artist, Aka Pereyma, a native of the Ukraine who chose Troy, Ohio as her American home.  Even at eighty-three this vibrant artist of folk symbols, welder of sculptures, teacher, painter, ceramic artist, and printmaker, became a youthful mentor to my students.  She allowed us to visit her home.  She critiqued their ideas and pushed them in new directions, and she challenged them to think, even at rest, and work through challenges, even when exhausted.

In the grant, I included the hiring of an artist sculptor, Bonnie Ramirez, from Noblesville, Indiana, since I knew nothing about welding.  She brought her expertise, and I knew how to teach.  I selected sixteen advanced art students with five to seven semesters of art experiences to be my core group.  We began by learning about the art of Deborah Butterfield, a Montana artist who creates all of her sculptures of mares.  She uses multiple mediums, but she relies heavily on welding.  Then we began drawing, for days, with different media.  After critiquing the drawings we built maquettes, 3-D models out of wire, recycled materials, wood, and metal.  The students determined which elements of various designs they wanted to incorporate into the final design and drew a life-size drawing in preparation, ten feet by eight feet.  The finished sculpture would then be mounted on a platform with twenty-one-inch metal wheels.  The finished design relied heavily on symbolism.

We created a welding area at the end of my art room, as we had access to a cement area through double doors.  This allowed us to isolate the welding and protect the curious student body.  Bonnie worked diligently to teach the students safety precautions and how to use equipment.  She worked with them during fifty-five-minute classes, study halls, after school, and all day one Saturday.  Having only taught at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, prior to moving to Indiana, perhaps she did not fully understand the constraints of a high school schedule. 

The process took longer than anticipated, but the pace increased with student comprehension of the welding process and seeing their vision take shape.  The boys bent the framework; both girls and boys used the plasma cutter to cut their symbols; and they all took a hand at welding.  But five girls became the star welders; and the tiniest of the five girls was present for every extra work session!  Aka Pereyma sat in a lawn chair under an umbrella one Saturday and declared their “work was good.”  Finally, the horse was put on a truck and rode off to Aesthetic Finishers for its final coating; and Kerber Sheet Metal, Inc. welded the platform on which the hose would stand.  We waited for its return.

When it arrived with copper, gold, and polished steel finishes under clear coat, we were ready to assemble.  Bonnie and the students cold-connected symbols to the legs and interior.  The head was shaped with a horse-like Trojan mask, the mane was unfurled in steel and brass, and the wrought iron tail looked like it was flying in the wind.   As this all transpired, I worked with volunteers who poured a cement base in the interior grassy courtyard that would be the home of the “Guardian Steed,” the name selected for the sculpture.  An outline pattern was added to the cement with carved clay Greek tiles which had been created by my Art I students.  And the lobby of the new gymnasium was hung with twenty, thirty-by-forty-inch Greek banners created by my Art 3 students.  All was ready for the ribbon cutting.

On a cold but spirited day in early November, fifty-nine guests representing the community industries, the school board, administrators, The Troy Foundation, the press, parents and students assembled in the courtyard.  The advanced students thanked and acknowledged Aka Perema, Bonnie Ramirez, and myself.  The sixteen students spoke proudly of what they had accomplished in nine weeks.  They shared the legend of the original Trojan Horse, but they refused to accept it as a symbol of defeat.  Instead, they shared the meaning of the symbolism they had defined in the sculpture. 

The “Guardian Steed” was dedicated as a symbol of the proud heritage in the Troy City Schools, the community of Troy, and this nation.  It became a visualization of academic excellence, extra curricular accomplishments, creative thinking, and historic reflection.  It honored the partnership of our community patrons and the school.   It resides in full view of four wings of academic classrooms.  It has been well received by students and citizens of Troy.  At the reception following the cutting of the red ribbon, art students beamed with pride.  They seemed to recognize that they had made a significant and lasting contribution to the public face of their high school.