Two giant ants have taken over UF, and artist Susan P. Cochran thinks it’s wonderful.
On Tuesday morning on the lawn in front of the Florida Museum of Natural History, people gathered to see the unloading of “X” and “O,” the two bronze ants that will live on the lawn for one year. Unloaded by crane, these larger-than-life statues weigh 1,100 pounds each and double as chairs.
Cochran, who said she is in her mid-70s, stepped in herself and adjusted the bases on which the ants would stand as they were unloaded.
She originally had a colony of 13 bronze ants, including a queen. She has since sold six of them.
Cochran said she likes to see people’s reactions to her insect furniture and hopes people will interact with her art.
“I like to have fun in my old age,” she said.
When asked about her reason for making ants, Cochran laughed and said, “Why not?”
Leah Craig, a public relations and marketing manager for the UF College of Arts, said they host a public artist each year through Creative B, an interdisciplinary annual summer program for UF students.
Jennifer Coolidge, a director of development for the UF College of the Arts, travels around the country to meet artists who could be picked for the Creative B program.
Cochran came as a referral to the university, and her ants began the process of approval through various groups and committees from Creative B and the community.
“This is a delight,” Coolidge said. “The ants are absolutely a delight.”
In conjunction with the installation of the new sculptures, the museum will host its Creative B movie series throughout July. “Them!,” which tells the story of atomic tests in New Mexico causing common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization, will be the film on Friday.
A reception will be held from Friday at 6 p.m. followed by the panel discussion at 7 and then the film screening.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 7/9/15 under the headline "Giant, bronze ants find home at UF"]
Giant Ants Two 1,100-pound bronze ant statues are unloaded Tuesday at the Florida Museum of Natural History. They are a temporary installation by artist Susan Cochran.
