UC Duct Tape Sculptures Featured by National TV Program

Duct tape sculptures, some as large as 25 feet tall, recently made by University of Cincinnati fine arts students were featured in the A&E network’s “Shipping Wars” on July 8.

Twelve undergraduate and graduate fine arts students, led by UC’s Joe Girandola, associate professor of fine arts, made 14 duct-tape sculptures that were recently exhibited on UC’s campus and at then were shipped to Avon, Ohio, the self-proclaimed "Duck Tape® Capital of the World."

There, the sculptures were exhibited as part of the 11th Annual Avon Heritage Duct Tape Festival, June 13-15, the weekend of Father's Day. Following the festival, the duct tape creations will become part of the art collection of ShurTech, LLC, the company that markets Duck Tape® brand duct tape. ShurTech sponsored the UC students in their projects, and uses the students’ art as part of their trade show displays in major cities like New York City and Los Angeles.

The making and shipping of the sculptures to the Avon, Ohio, festival were the subject of the July 8 “Shipping Wars” episode, which will air again at 10:30 a.m., Friday, July 11.

This year, the students created sculptures that exemplified the festival theme “Duct Tape Is Out of this World.” So, for instance, the sculptures included a 25-foot tall space monster and an equally tall Saturn V rocket.

According to Girandola, his 3D special studio course provides students a rare opportunity to create large-scale art. He explained, “The projects require a lot of logistical planning. At some point, construction must be completed outside because of the sheer size. That requires a lot of planning even before work begins and is usually a new challenge for the students.”

• See video from last year’s duct tape sculptures made on UC’s campus.