Frances Rich, The Laughing Pelican, 1958
Bronze
97 x 85 x 55 in.
Anthony Hall (Pelican Building)
Perched on a lawn of patchy grass, Francis Rich’s The Laughing Pelican is a welcoming and larger-than-life cast bronze bird. Young kids love to engage with the work by climbing on its back, and the beak is commonly filled with acorns and nuts in an attempt to lure friendly campus squirrels for a photo op. Because of these sorts of well-intentioned public interactions, the beak has been repaired multiple times, and was even once recast by the artist herself.
The Laughing Pelican is located directly outside of Anthony Hall, fondly known as the Pelican Building, as it once housed the offices of UC Berkeley’s infamous humor magazine the California Pelican (launched in 1903, disbanded in 1980, and succeeded by the Heuristic Squelch, which is still running today). Both the building and the sculpture were donated by the founder of the magazine, Earle C. Anthony; their public dedication in May 1958 even featured a live pelican. The name was a reference to a derogatory term for college coeds at the time, who were said to look like puffed-up pelicans when carrying their books in the skirts of their Victorian-style dresses. The building, designed by Joseph Escherick, contains many references to pelicans including the column capitals and the lintel above the central entrance. Today it houses the graduate student government, and the vicinity is busy with students. The Old Berkeley Art Gallery mosaics are nearby.
Frances Rich was born in Spokane, Washington, in 1910 and received her BA from Smith College. After college she appeared in a few Hollywood movies, then moved to Paris to study sculpture. During World War II she worked as a mechanical draftsperson for Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank. After the war Rich returned to sculpting. She created many busts of public figures and produced large works for university campuses, including six large limestone reliefs at Purdue University, and a monument at Arlington National Cemetery.
Helpful Links:
Public Art at Cal 