Grinding, Welding and Lots of Bronze

For the second year, senior philosophy major and musician Alexander Legeros left the Gustavus campus and returned home for the summer to work in his father’s business — something not altogether unusual for a college student. For Legeros, however, that means packing his books and his bassoon and trading them for grinders, welders, hearing and eye protection and bronze. Lots of bronze. The family business is Nicholas Legeros, Inc., owned and operated by Alex’s father, sculptor Nicholas Legeros (Gustavus Class of 1977).

Also for the second year, Alex is working with his father on a major commissioned work. Last year, the Legeros studio created the larger-than-life St. Joseph sculpture which stands outside St. Joseph Hospital in St. Paul. In February, Nick Legeros was awarded a commission by the Minneapolis Tribune and WCCO Radio to create a life-sized sculpture of legendary Minnesota sports broadcaster and columnist Sid Hartman. The bronze statue of Hartman, who will celebrate 65 years of reporting on Minnesota sports in September, is scheduled to be installed outside the Target Center later this year. Although he has works throughout St. Paul and the greater Metro, the Hartman piece will be the first work Legeros has been commissioned to install in Minneapolis.

As an artist and teacher for 30 years, Nick Legeros credits his love of art to his parents and an early exposure to art and museums. From renowned Minnesota sculptor and former Sculptor-in-Residence at Gustavus, Paul Granlund, Legeros received the knowledge and skills to be a successful full-time artist. “The careful mentoring and encouragement I received from sculptor Paul Granlund made my career choice possible. Paul gave me the training, the knowledge and the benefit of his years of experience. He showed me what the life of a sculptor was like.” Following his graduation from Gustavus, Nick earned an MFA in sculpture, then taught at Metropolitan State University, the Breck School, the Edina Arts Center and the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. He created Nicholas Legeros, Inc. in 1992 and, for the past seven years, has been working from his studio at Marshall and 14^th Avenue NE by the historic Grain Belt Brewery building in the art district of NE Minneapolis.

Over the summer, the two will continue work on the Hartman sculpture. More grinding and welding as they match the arms and Hartman’s ever-present microphone and cassette recorder to fit. Welding and finishing the work as they prepare for the installation while another member of the team casts and finishes 8 inch models of the piece. In September, Alex will return to Gustavus for his final year as Nick makes final preparations for the installation.

Once Sid Hartman is standing tall at the corner of 6th Street and 1st Avenue, Nick will move on to his next creative challenge. What that challenge is, only time will tell. Following his graduation in May, 2011, Alex will move on to his next challenge as well. Perhaps that will include a summer of grinding, welding and bronze. Lots of bronze. Perhaps.