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All the United States Alabama Tuscaloosa Goldie 1971 - The Fallen Robot

Goldie 1971 - The Fallen Robot

A rusted metal giant pays tribute to Birmingham’s industrial past.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

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Joe Beck
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Goldie 71 as first installed, 2009   Joe McCreary
Goldie 71 today   UA Department of Art and Art History
Concept art for “Goldie 71,” using archival photo from Sloss Furnaces   Concept photo by Wade Hulsey (original photo date unknown, courtesy of Joe McCreary)
Goldie 71 being installed   UA Department of Art and Art History
Sleeping giant   UA Department of Art and Art History
4-22-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
4-22-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
Goldie at night   ipinguping / Atlas Obscura User
  ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
  CBlomker / Atlas Obscura User
  SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
Nearby Sculpture   SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
  footballoot / Atlas Obscura User
4-22-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
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About

When the Sloss Blast Furnaces closed in 1971, the site had been an anchor of Birmingham’s industrial life for nine decades. As one of the South’s largest manufacturers of pig iron, the obsolete hulk that was left behind was an inspiration for then-graduate student Joe McCreary, who created a rusting giant for the University of Alabama campus.

Called “Goldie 1971,” the creature has stopped to rest in the sculpture garden of Woods Quad, just outside the Department of Art and Art History where McCreary earned his MFA in 2011. The University bought the sculpture in 2010 and installed the three-ton titan as part of its permanent outdoor collection.

One of five public art installations in the quad, McCreary’s piece honors the workers of Sloss and their jobs smelting pig iron (an element used to make steel). Early concept art for the piece put Goldie to work alongside the ironmen, under grueling and often dangerous conditions. Goldie may not have been vulnerable to the heat and poisonous gasses like his denim-clad brethren, but even a pig iron robot is susceptible to plant closures.

If it’s true that when one doors closes another one opens, Goldie 1971 and Sloss Blast Furnaces are two good examples. Sloss, after ten years of dormancy and decay, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1981. It opened to the public as a museum and event venue and provides artist studios and metalwork classes. Goldie may have dropped down into permanent silence in the middle of Woods Quad, but he’s a reminder to the hundreds of students who pass by every day that art can tell all of our stories. As his creator likes to say, never forget who you are or where you came from.

Related Tags

Sculptures Art Installations Universities Industrial

Know Before You Go

The University of Alabama is in downtown Tuscaloosa, about 60 miles southwest of Birmingham. Woods Quad is open 24/7, and there is parking on campus or on 7th Avenue. If you park on campus in one of the designated lots, it's $5 for the day (7am to 6pm) and free if it's off-hours and on weekends. You can enter the Quad from 7th Street, Capstone Drive, or Stadium Drive. Goldie 1971 is resting in the northeast corner, in front of Woods Hall.

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Added By

josephwbeck

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hrnick, erjeffery, ski queen, ipinguping...

  • hrnick
  • erjeffery
  • ski queen
  • ipinguping
  • Darrell Powers
  • CBlomker
  • SemiruralYeti
  • footballoot

Published

September 29, 2016

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloss_Furnaces
  • http://www.slossfurnaces.com/history/
  • http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1818
  • https://www.as.ua.edu/2014/08/11/woods-quad-sculpture-garden-opens/
  • https://art.ua.edu/loupe/woods-quad-sculpture-garden-dedicated/
  • https://www.google.se/maps/place/417+Bryce+Lawn+Dr,+Tuscaloosa,+AL+35401,+USA/@33.2130095,-87.5456732,63m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x8888a820237d48bf:0x376493dc7a2abd16!8m2!3d33.211505!4d-87.538044?hl=sv
Goldie 1971 - The Fallen Robot
301 7th Ave
7th Ave & Capstone Drive
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 35401
United States
33.213042, -87.545585
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Photo of Tuscaloosa

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tuscaloosa

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