“Victory Salute,” the statue commemorating the Black Power salute given by Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the medal stand in 1968, has become an iconic landmark at San Jose State since its dedication in 2005. And that’s exactly what Rigo 23, the artist who created the 22-foot-tall artwork, had hoped would happen.
“It’s been really nice to see so many young people interact with it over the years,” Rigo 23 said. He arrived on campus this week from Los Angeles with artistic collaborator Christian Haas to make minor repairs and clean the statue, originally commissioned by San Jose State’s Associated Students.
Rigo 23 — born Ricardo Gouveia in Portugal — said he intended the statue to honor not only Smith and Carlos but student activism itself. That’s why the third spot on the medal stand, where Australian silver medalist Peter Norman stood in Mexico City, is open for people to stand in.
Artists Rigo 23, left, and Christian Haas, on ladder, work on “Victory Salute,” the 2005 sculpture he created at San Jose State University honoring Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Portugal-born artist Rigo 23 works on “Victory Salute,” the 2005 sculpture he created at San Jose State University honoring Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Ceramic tiles handcrafted by artist Rigo 23 are ready as potential replacements for damaged tiles on “Victory Salute,” the 2005 sculpture he created at San Jose State University honoring Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Artist Rigo 23 mixes sculpting compound to use on “Victory Salute,” the 2005 sculpture he created at San Jose State University honoring Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Rigo 23 adds sculpting compound between tiles of “Victory Salute,” the 2005 sculpture he created at San Jose State University honoring Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
A pro-Palestinian protest encampment is seen in front of the Tommie Smith and John Carlos statues at San Jose State University on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
2018: John Carlos, left, and Tommie Smith pose for a photo in front of statue that honors their iconic, black-gloved protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. ( (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MAY 20: San Jose State University graduate Ronald Staden, from San Jose, poses for pictures in his cap and gown at the statue of Tommie Smith and John Carlos from the 1968 Summer Olympics on campus in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Staden graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
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