This was the sculpture that launched a thousand tears, for more reasons than one. This sculpture was a result of our third project in 3D design. The assignment was to research the history of our art building, built by Arkansas native and wildly accomplished architect Edward Durell Stone. In addition we were supposed to do a little research on modernism and post-modernism architecture and then photograph elements of the building that related to either.

From all that, we were supposed to derive a larger sized abstract sculpture. Yikes, right?

I stayed up two full days (in addition to several 3 hour class periods) working on this project. I spent time cutting through foam board and organizing and then reorganizing layouts. I also received a nasty glue gun burn that has left it's mark to this day. This project was gnarly and I quickly realized foam board is not the prettiest or most forgiving of mediums.

On the day this project was due, I brought my car around and attempted to fit it in the backseat. It was much too large. My next plan was to try and fit it into my trunk. No luck either. I then proceeded to freak out. I called my roommate, who drives a truck, but she was in class and unable to help. I then called my friend Jenny, who called a guy friend - who allowed us to blindly borrow his truck.

By the time we got his truck it was a torrential downpour outside complete with hail (of all things). JUST MY LUCK. Of course, I couldn't put the sculpture in the back now. It would be ruined. So I was forced to break the project in order to fit it into the single cab. It was the worst moment of my sleep deprived life. So, there I was in a race against the clock - my broken, albeit huge, project jammed against me with me attempting to drive some guys truck in a storm where I literally could not see two feet in front of me. I was so panicked and stressed out.

Somehow I made it though.

As I rushed my project into the art building and found the classroom, my instructor then informed me and everyone else that she had decided to cancel class because she didn't want us to ruin our projects in transit (which is exactly what I had just done). She sent the email five minute's after the class's normal start time. I literally wanted to break down and die. I hadn't slept in two days, I had broken my project, borrowed a truck, and was soaking wet. UGH.

Eventually I was able to mend the project as best as I could, even though there were minor disasters during that whole process as well (such as me stupidly gluing my French cleat on backwards). In the end my project received a good critique and I got a good grade - but it was still the project that launched a thousand tears (at least on my part).