2 giant Red Hawk sculptures installed on CVCC’s main campus

Anyone visiting Catawba Valley Community College will notice two new members have arrived and taken flight on the main campus.

05/09/2022

CVCC Red Hawk Sculpture

Two giant bronze Red Hawk sculptures were installed Wednesday on CVCC’s main campus, residing on the columns in the center of the college’s roundabouts.

“We take pride in what our Red Hawk brand means in our community,” said Catawba Valley Community College President Dr. Garrett Hinshaw. “Thanks to the vision of Mr. David Sain and Mr. Dave Zagaroli and our great partnership with the city of Hickory, their vision is now a reality on our campus. Everyone will now know that they are entering a special place called Red Hawk Nation at Catawba Valley Community College.”

The two sculptures were provided through a strong partnership with the city of Hickory. 

Zagaroli, a city of Hickory councilman who was instrumental in the sculptures being installed, paid a visit to them after they were installed on Wednesday. He was more than pleased with the final product after this project was started three years ago in partnership with sculptor Jon Hair.

“We were trying to find (Hair) a home here in Hickory and do a foundry and art studio. That fell through, but while he was here I thought wouldn’t it be nice to have some bronze statutes on either our highway and at our schools,” Zagaroli said. “I did some sketches and came to Garrett with this idea. The city was on board. We were going to do a larger one, but we weren’t able to pull that off. After three years, I’m so pleased to see this. I was just blown away. I’ve been working with Jon on photographs and other stuff, but I didn’t realize how dramatic these sculptures were going to be. It’s just great. I think the students, campus and community are going to love it.”

The Red Hawk sculptures were installed by Hickory Construction Company, and it took approximately four hours for them to be raised and mounted with two steel rods and secured with an epoxy adhesive.

“I am totally proud and honored to be a part of the dedication and background work that it took to make this momentous work of art a part of the CVCC campus,” Sain said.

These two giant Red Hawks were designed by Hair — an Iowa native who now lives in Cornelius, N.C.

According to Hair, the sculptures took approximately nine to 12 months to make. They are made of silicon bronze and stand nine feet wide with the Red Hawk having a 14-foot wing span. They weight 800 pounds and are hollow with a quarter-inch thickness on the inside.

The Red Hawks are two of 70 pieces that Hair has made across North Carolina, and Catawba Valley Community College is the 46th college for which he has made sculptures.

Hair said that the two Red Hawks, which Dr. Hinshaw has donned “Big Red” and “Big Hawk,” are two of his favorite pieces that he’s made.

“It’s just another piece of you that you’re leaving behind for other people to be inspired by,” Hair said. “That’s the only reason I do this.”

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