Collegiate Times

Sarah Meadows, a Virginia Tech alumna, was commissioned in 2005 to paint the prototype for the Gobble de Art project, the public display of seventy-five fiberglass Hokie Bird statues around the community. Now a library assistant at Bedford Middle School in Bedford, Va., Meadows continues to pursue her love of art in her spare time. She is currently enrolled in Hollins University where she is working towards her Master of Art in Teaching in Art Education.

How were you chosen to paint the prototype model?
I was nominated to paint the prototype by my former Tech art professor, Derek Myers. He recommended me to Diane Akers and Janet Johnson of The Blacksburg Partnership (sponsor of Gobble de Art), who contacted me about the commission in the summer of 2005. Following my painting the prototype, invitations were issued to local artists throughout the Blacksburg area. They called it ?A Call to Artists.? It was for painting the large birds.

How long did the concept for your design, ?Strollin? Around Hokie Town,? take to conceive?
Not long at all! Once I had been given details about the Gobble de Art project, I did some research about similar town/college projects (i.e. Georgia?s ?We Let the Dogs Out.?) Seeing other artists? ideas helped me brainstorm about my own. I thought about things that would represent Blacksburg, the New River Valley region and the VT campus as a whole, since the prototype would set an example for the entire Gobble de Art project.

Why was it necessary for you to paint the prototype?
The prototype was and is used to promote the Gobble de Art projects. Since it measures about two feet, it is portable. The Blacksburg Partnership has carried it around to various businesses, individuals, sporting events, etc., to encourage sponsorship and purchases of the larger birds.

What are your thoughts about the vandalism committed so far against the existing Hokie Bird statues?
It is appalling to think that those people have no regard for art or the private property of others. Even if the vandalism was intended as a prank, it should not be treated lightly. As in the case of the cadet hat stolen from my Nick Brantley bird, that was a memorial. One would have to stoop pretty low to damage a memorial, in my opinion.

Speaking of the memorial, what is the story behind the Nick Brantley Memorial Hokie Bird that you painted?
Nick Brantley was a VTCC alumnus (Class of 2001.) Following his untimely death in September 2005, when his Navy helicopter crashed, his friends and family learned of the Gobble de Art project. They thought the purchase of a Hokie Bird would be a fitting memorial. Since Nick died in the United States, as opposed to during combat, his name cannot be added to VT?s War Memorial. The Hokie Bird memorial will forever be part of VT?s landscape, so Nick will always be remembered for his role in the VTCC and his sacrifice.

Did you picture yourself as a future artist of the Hokie Bird when you graduated from college? Is this what you imagined yourself doing?
It had always been my hope that even after leaving Blacksburg, I would still have opportunities to be active in the arts at my ?Hokie Home!? Gobble de Art has done just that. I hope that this project will open even more artistic doors for me. Maybe someday, I?ll relocate to Blacksburg!

Speaking of Blacksburg, you?ve received a lot of awards and community recognition? What, in your opinion, has been the biggest accomplishment in your life?
I would say Gobble de Art. I painted a total of three birds (two large ones and the prototype) while working as a substitute teacher, being a full-time graduate student, undergoing knee surgery and recovery following an injury (which occurred while I was working on the prototype ? not related to the Gobbler, though), and then finally student teaching last spring. I can?t believe I pulled it all off in less than a year.

What has been your favorite art project you?ve worked on so far?
Often my favorite ?projects? are ones that just happen at the spur-of-the-moment. I might wake up one morning and feel extra-creative and spend a whole day driving through the countryside, taking photographs, drawing what I see and doing whatever comes to mind.

Bedsides art, what other hobbies do you enjoy in your free time?
I don?t have a lot of free time as a grad student and a full-time employee. In what spare time I have, I enjoy the outdoors, visiting historical places and photography.

Between your hobbies and your work, what do you think will come next for you? Any current projects?
My current project is my graduate thesis. I created classroom curriculum for storybook writing and illustrating for students. The thesis is currently undergoing review, and it?s about 150 pages in length, including a website I designed from scratch using Adobe Photoshop software. Shortly, I will be graduating and earning my MAT.