Arts & Culture

Why is SUNY Brockport's 'Prometheus' lying in a field on the edge of campus?

WXXI News | By David Andreatta,

Published September 1, 2023 at 5:01 AM EDT

This statue of "Prometheus" was a gift from the U.S.S.R. to SUNY Brockport to commemorate the university hosting the International Special Olympics in 1979. — This statue of Prometheus was a gift from the U.S.S.R. to SUNY Brockport to commemorate the university hosting the International Special Olympics in 1979.

A giant bronze statue of Prometheus, the Olympian rebel of Greek mythology, towered over the State University of New York at Brockport campus for 43 years.

A statue of Prometheus, the Olympian rebel of Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods for the progress of humanity, was given to SUNY Brockport by the U.S.S.R. in 1979 to commemorate the university hosting the International Special Olympics.

The statue, called “Light and Knowledge to the World,” stood 40 feet tall and was one of two sculptures given to the university by the U.S.S.R. to commemorate the university hosting the fifth International Special Olympics in August 1979. The games drew celebrities, from Muhammad Ali to Christopher Reeve, from around the world to Brockport.

The U.S.S.R. gave two sculptures to SUNY Brockport in 1979 to commemorate the university hosting the International Special Olympics that year. One was "Prometheus: Light and Knowledge to the World," and he other was "Joy and Happiness to All the Children of the World." — The U.S.S.R. gave two sculptures to SUNY Brockport in 1979 to commemorate the university hosting the International Special Olympics that year. One was "Prometheus: Light and Knowledge to the World," and the other was "Joy and Happiness to All the Children of the World."

They were the work of Zurab Tsereteli, a controversial artist who was a visiting professor at the time, and today is considered the closest thing Russia has to an official state artist.

Zurab Tsereteli, a native of the Republic of Georgia, was a visiting professor at SUNY Brockport in 1979, when he sculpted 'Prometheus' on behalf of the U.S.S.R. as a gift to the university.

His other sculpture, “Joy and Happiness to All the Children of the World,” stands outside the Drake Library.

"Joy and Happiness to All the Children of the World," by artist Zurab Tsereteli, stands outside the Drake Library at SUNY Brockport. It was a gift from the Soviet Union to commemorate the International Special Olympics held at the university in 1979.

But Prometheus has been put out to pasture. Today, the Greek god of light and knowledge who stood sentinel over SUNY Brockport for decades sleeps in a grassy field cloaked in the woods on the western edge of campus.

Prometheus, a sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli, stood sentinel at SUNY Brockport outside the Allen Administration Building from 1979 to 2022. Now, it lies in pieces in a grassy field on the edge of campus.

The Greek god of fire was felled from his perch outside the Allen Administration Building in May 2022 because he was on life support, according to a university news release announcing his removal. Guy wires were holding him up.

In Greek mythology, Prometheus was condemned to eternal torment for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to people in the name of progress. He was bound to a rock and an eagle, the symbol of Zeus, was sent to eat his liver on a daily basis. Overnight, Prometheus's liver was to grow back, setting in motion again the cycle of torture.

The university explained that the top half of Prometheus — his chiseled bare upper body holding aloft a sunburst — would be stored and that officials would determine whether he could be resurrected.

Prometheus was sculpted from bronze by the artist Zurab Tsereteli.

On a recent day, the once majestic Prometheus was surrounded by deer scat and an immobile front-end loader that reeked of hydraulic fuel. His bottom half had been mangled and his torso punctured.

Prometheus, a sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli that stood on the SUNY Brockport campus from 1979 to 2022, was in disrepair when it came down. Among the damage is a hole in the Greek god's chest.

A university spokesperson said where Prometheus rests, in a forest between Commencement Drive and Redman Road, is the same place the university has placed other outdoor artwork in the past.

Prometheus's once-intricate base has been mangled beyond recognition.

One of those pieces was Albert Paley’s “Conclave,” which was restored and resurrected in 2015 with private funding from former Brockport professor Bill Andrews as a memorial to his late wife, Monica W. Andrews.

"Conclave," a sculpture completed by Albert Paley in 1984, stood on the grounds of SUNY Brockport until the early 2010s. It was retired to a field on the edge of campus before it was restored by former professor Bill Andrews in memory of his late wife, Monica.

“When I learned about the sculpture, it was lying the field over by Redman Road, I thought it was a shame the college didn’t do something with it,” Andrews once said.

SUNY Brockport Professor Emeritus Bill Andrews said he paid $38,000 to have Albert Paley's "Conclave" restored after learning that it was being stored by the university in a field on the edge of campus.

Asked about Prometheus, Andrews said, “I can see the difficulty the college is having with it. And I don’t see any good solution to it. I’m not surprised that it’s just lying in the woods and the solution is probably just to let it sit there.”

The bronze likeness of Prometheus once stood 40 feet tall.

University spokesperson John Follaco said school officials determined that it would cost more than $250,000 to restore Prometheus to his former glory. Efforts to find private support for the endeavor were unsuccessful, he said.

“Hopefully,” he said, “that will change one day.”

Emails regarding the statue sent to Tsereteli through his website were not returned.