Crews spent several hours installing University of Lynchburg’s LOVEwork sculpture Wednesday afternoon. Many members of the campus community stopped by to watch the LOVE letters come together (and enjoy cold Coke provided by LC Dining Services). Just minutes after the sign was complete, members of the community were surrounding the sign for photos.
The News & Advance and WSET also dropped by to take a look at the LOVE sign, and the sign got a spot on the World Gratitude Map, too.
Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the installation of the LC LOVE sign, featuring photos by LC photographer John McCormick.
First, the time-lapse video that summarizes the hours-long project in 1 minute, 14 seconds, by LC web developer David Woody ’00:
The letters arrived on campus on a flatbed trailer shortly after noon. Rhonda Johnson, mastermind of the LOVEwork project, was one of the first on site to see the completed components.
Unloading the hefty letters required multiple people.
One by one, the letters were lifted onto the platform.
And, one by one, the letters’ mounting holes proved to be slightly too small or off center, since the contractor who had installed the lag bolts had upgraded them to a larger size. So college employees and contractors drilled larger holes in the base of each letter.
Rhonda, a housing coordinator, explained to members of the media how she worked with a team of students to help bring the LC LOVE sign to campus. Her work helped secure a Virginia Tourism Corporation grant to help pay for the project. As Rhonda prepares to retire from LC, she considers the sign her parting gift.
After setting each piece in place, crews tightened nuts on the bolts to hold the letters solidly to the foundation.
Many thanks to the crew from ImageBrite for installing the letters.
Below are three people who played key roles in the LC LOVE sign project. Katharine McCann designed the T-shirt that inspired the idea for the sign, Rhonda Johnson pursued the idea and organized the efforts, and Boyce Hamlet, director of physical plant, oversaw site preparation and assisted with the installation. Lighting and landscaping are in the works, too, under his direction.
It didn’t take long for the sign to be put to use as a photo backdrop. And judged by the comments by many LC alumni on social media, it will be in many photos during Homecoming (October 14-15) and other events in the future.