Running Minerva
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
The Roman goddess Minerva -- in a rendering more Wonder Woman than classical -- is frozen in motion, balanced on tip-toe atop a 30-foot-high curved chrome beam. She appears to have spent a lot of time at the gym (she was modeled on dancers from the University of Alabama), wears a clingy dress, and is releasing her owl of wisdom. Her bronze hair flows in the breeze, and a splash of water at her feet suggests that she's running on the surface of the adjacent Black Warrior River.
The sculpture was created by local artist Caleb O'Connor, who called it "a symbol of progress through reflection," since visitors can see themselves in the chrome. It was unveiled on December 13, 2019.