Batman Sculpture Positioned to go on West Street is Underway
Photo provided by Alessandro Lombardo
Originally posted as “Batman sculpture work begins in West Rutland”
By Gordon Dritschilo
August 24, 2022
Rutland Herald
After two years of delays, Batman is on his way to Rutland.
Italian sculptor Alessandro Lombardo began work this week on converting a 12-ton block of Vermont Quarries marble into the latest entry into the Rutland Sculpture Trail, which depicts the Caped Crusader alongside Rutland Halloween Parade founder and longtime organizer Tom Fagan. Lombardo will do most of the work outdoors at the Carving Studio & Sculpture Center in West Rutland, where the public is invited to observe.
Organizer Steve Costello said Lombardo lives in Italy and was unable to get to West Rutland to start work before COVID travel restrictions were lifted.
“Other projects got pushed off, as well, because nobody wanted to travel during that time period,” Costello said. “He literally couldn’t come even if he wanted to because of the restrictions at that point.”
Fagan had several friends in the comic book industry who would visit Vermont for his Halloween parties. These writers then began incorporating the parade into various storylines, creating a comic book in-joke that persists today. Obvious references have yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Netflix’s “The Punisher” series included an homage by having one of its characters come from the fictional town of Fagan Corners, Vermont.
The sculpture, which was designed by Chinese artist Jiannan Wu, is expected to be completed in time for the 2022 Halloween parade, and will be installed along the parade route on West Street. It will be Rutland’s first Halloween parade since 2019 — the parade was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and then twice because of weather in 2021.
“He is really skilled and his ability to bring this piece to life will really combine with Jiannan Wu’s design,” Costello said. “It’ll be a spectacular piece when all is said and done.”
Like the rest of the Sculpture Trail, the piece is funded by donors. Lead donors were Heritage Family Credit Union, Green Mountain Power, Asplundh Tree Expert Co., Davey Tree Expert Co., Downtown Rutland Partnership, Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty, PEGTV, Rob and Colleen Mitchell, Russ and Renee Marsan, Rutland Blooms, Sara and Greg McClallen, Steve and Jane Costello, and TPW Management.
The Rutland Sculpture Trail began in 2017 with a piece depicting an anonymous stoneworker. Subjects since have included Revolutionary War hero Ann Story; poet Julia Dorr; Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson; and Olympic Skier Andrea Mead Lawrence.
The Fagan sculpture is the 10th entry. An 11th depicting chef and restaurant owner Ernie Royal is in production, as well as a 12th depicting Redfield Proctor. Two more projects are expected to be announced later this year.
“They’ve all been funded,” Costello said. “There was just no point in pushing forward because there were those others in front of them. Without COVID, we’d probably have all five complete right now.”
gordon.dritschilo
@rutlandherald.com