IOWA CITY — At first glance, 13-year-old Archie Damschen didn’t have much confidence.
His father had come home to hear the news that an artist was being sought to design and carry out plans for a six-foot fiberglass statue of Hawk-Eyed Herkey, the University of Iowa’s mascot.
“It was my dad who realized, ‘Oh, anyone can apply,'” Archie said. Archie was homeschooled in Iowa City with his two brothers and has long demonstrated an affinity for art.
“But mainly I paint,” he said. “I’ve never painted anything this big, even something that big.”
As a result, Archie’s father’s printed call for artists remained at home for “a long time.” It wasn’t until a few days before her proposal was due that Archie started considering some ideas. With the help of his parents and family vacations, they jointly conceived Harkie covered in national parks.
“My dad came up with ‘America’s Greatest Idea,’ as it’s officially called,” Archie said of the idea for the national park motif. “And I sent it in. I think it was the day of the deadline.”
About a month later, Archie learned that he had been chosen as the youngest artist to be asked to design and execute an entry for ‘Herkie on Parade’. This is his third time this year, and over 20 years nearly 260 statues have illuminated the community, including 100 of him unveiled Wednesday morning.
At the time of the first Herkie on Parade in 2004, Archie wasn’t even born yet. In his second time in 2014, he was only 3 years old and still has some memories. “We visited and photographed all the Herkey homes,” he said. “It was really fun.”
question: When and how did you find out you were selected as an artist for the 2024 parade?
answer: I was in my room when my father called downstairs. And I sat on the sofa. And he and mom were sitting on opposite sides of the room. And the father said: “I have some interesting news, Archie. You have been chosen.” And I thought, “I have some interesting news for you, Archie. Really? “And my parents came and hugged me. It was so much fun.
question: Was there ever a time when you felt nervous or pressured by the task at hand?
answer: not much. Because that’s just what I was thinking. I was selected. This is so cool. “Such a phenomenon occurred when I put a real blank (Harky) in the garage.
question: Please tell us about your process. Do you first put some ideas down on paper, or do you sketch them out in pencil?
answer: The day I received it, I somehow felt like I had to start. So I took out my little pencil stub and roughly sketched where everything would go on the statue.
Q: Did you know all the parks you wanted to include?
answer: That was interesting. We went to the Iowa City library, and my mom and I flipped through a bunch of national park books, looking for any good photos we could use. And I ended up using quite a few, some from our phones, I mean, from when we went on trips.
Q: So all 63 national parks in the United States are depicted in Herkey?
answer: “There’s a lot going on there,” Archie said as he turned to his mother, Erica Damschen, for help. “Mom, how many did you count?” “I think I counted 27,” she said.
question: Please list some of the things you participated in that you particularly wanted to do or what the results were.
answer: It includes the Arch, Rocky Mountain, Mount Rushmore, Joshua Tree, and Acadia. I was carrying a bison on my shoulders in Teddy Roosevelt National Park. …Well, I’m really happy with the way my eyes look.
Q: Were there any parks that you found particularly difficult to paint on the giant Herky statue?
answer: Things in strange places… (my mother) had the brilliant idea of creating a dark sky park under the soles of our feet. I thought, “Oh, that’s a great idea.” Because I only need to make black and other colors and white stars. I also ended up painting the Everglades under his right arm, and it was a little difficult to keep his hand steady and in a stable position to hold the brush.
question: How tall are you?
answer: “I’m about 5’11” said Archie. “He’s a very tall 13-year-old,” his mother added. “So he might have had an advantage there.”
question: Unless you’re bending over. Do you find yourself in rather odd positions for long periods of time?
answer: Hooray. I also had to lie down. I did the sole of a small prairie dog’s left foot, but it was in an odd position for my neck. …But Prairie Dog turned out really nice.
Q: How does it feel to be the youngest artist to design and create a Herky for a parade? Was it scary?
answer: No, it’s not. I was like, let’s just paint it.
Q: How long did it take? Were you working on it every day?
answer: That was interesting. So I just put on the first layer of the national park logo, the arrowhead, and left it for a few weeks. I was a little tired because my brothers were saying, “Why don’t you do Herky’s work?” And this is what I thought. “Yes, I will.” I do. “And finally, he still had about two months left, and I thought, “I have to start working.” So that left him with about an hour or two almost every day. . …So it took two and a half months. ”
Q: How many national parks have you been to? And do you have a favorite?
answer: “Archie really enjoyed it,” Archie said of Utah’s desert landscape, one of the 16 places his family visited. “And the Grand Canyon was so beautiful.”
Q: How did you feel when the work was completed and you delivered the finished product to Think Iowa City?
answer: I was very satisfied. I took a little video of when I finished it, but technically I didn’t finish it.
Q: What does it mean?
answer: Eventually, that night, my mom and I went out to the garage and said, “Okay, is there anything you’d like to change?” We considered everything…and ultimately decided to make a few changes to Arch and Canyonlands.
Q: How do you feel about sharing your art with the entire community all summer long?
answer: That would be a lot of fun.
Q: Where is your Herky?
answer: Located in University Heights across from Stella.
Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.
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