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Holiday gator artist Leslie Tharp campus discusses metal sculpture

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December 1, 2021 Arts and Entertainment, WUFT Host Interviews

Tharp with Wolf/leslietharp.com

WUFT’s ATC host Dana Hill speaks with Gainesville metal artist and UF College of the Arts alumna Leslie Tharp about her sculpture the University commissioned in 2019. The Holiday Gator is a large, forged-steel alligator sculpture placed on the University Auditorium lawn in celebration of the the end of the Fall semester and coming holiday season.

Last year’s festivities were canceled due to the pandemic, so this year marks the second “Lighting of the Holiday Gator” ceremony scheduled for 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. near the corner of Newell Drive and Union Road on UF’s Gainesville campus. The Gator Marching Band, the UF Sunshine Steelers and the UF Concert Choir will entertain students, faculty, staff, families and friends and UF President Kent Fuchs will lead the countdown to the ceremonial lighting of the Holiday Gator which will glow with orange and blue LED lights through the end of the semester on December 17.

About Glenn Richards

Glenn Richards is Operations Coordinator and local host for Morning Edition on WUFT-FM. His background includes 30+ years of radio in South Florida as an air personality, promotion director, and morning show producer (WSHE, WZTA, & WFLC). His previous education includes a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Miami where he was also general manager of WVUM-FM. Upon his arrival in Gainesville in 2006 to pursue a telecommunication master’s degree at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, he worked as an air personality at WRUF-FM (both Rock104 and Country 103.7 The Gator). One of Glenn’s passions is local music. Since 1990, he has produced and hosted local music programs in both South Florida and Gainesville, playing demos and independent releases from unsigned artists, many of whom went on to national prominence including: Marilyn Manson, Sister Hazel, For Squirrels, Matchbox 20, Saigon Kick, Mary Karlzen, Nil Lara, Hundred Waters, and more.

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