USU Geology Unveils New Utahraptor Sculpture by Student Artist

After a full April day of activities on the Quad on the Logan Campus for Earth Day celebrations, the Department of Geology capped things off with the unveiling of a commissioned sculpture of Utah’s new official state dinosaur, as part of its participation in the USU’s “Year of the Arts.”

After comments from Geology Museum Director, David Liddell, and the department heads of Geology and Art and Design, Justin Tolman, a USU senior art major in sculpture, addressed a full-capacity crowd in the main lecture hall of the Geology Building. Justin described his experience, from approaching the department with an idea of creating a sculpture to the completion of the project, sharing photos and videos of the process. He then fielded many questions about his methods and inspirations for the work.

Then, the department heads drew back the drapes to reveal the 1/3 scale sculpture of a Utahraptor ostrommaysorum, nicknamed “Percy” by Rachel Tolman, Justin’s wife. After the ceremony, Percy was moved to the sculpture’s new residence in the USU Geology Museum in GEOL 203. The museum is open for patronage during regular office hours of 8:00am – 5:00pm, Mondays – Fridays.