A Minister and a Hiker…
What connection does a retired female minister and educator in Lake Charles, Louisiana, have to a statue of historical hiking legend Grandma Gatewood?
The sculptor of the Grandma Gatewood Project, Bridgette Mongeon is currently busy with multiple commissions this year as the committee is looking for the necessary funds to advance the Grandma Gatewood project. The committee needs approximately $5,000 to $10,000 of the $200,000. to proceed to the next stage. Your contributions can help make this happen—no donation is too small. Please continue to share our posts and links related to the project.
You may recall that the sculptor has been working on a small maquette of Grandma Gatewood. Many interviews showcase her working on it, including a segment from Texas Country Reporter. Although the studio has been bustling with activity, the artist felt the pull the small sculpture. She walked past it daily, saying, "I’ll change this part, make this part smaller, and move this over, once I have time.” She was distracted by other projects in the studio until this week. Getting the general shape of Grandma Gatewood formed was essential, as she was moving on to another project, and hoped that the next step for the Mother Boo sculpture in Louisiana would help advance Grandma Gatewood's progress.
Mother Boo has been in the artist's studio since the beginning of 2025. This project involves three figures: Mother Boo and two children. Similar to Grandma Gatewood, the artist is creating a smaller version of the Mother Boo scene, approximately one-third of life size. Once the sculptor completes the piece, she will need to have Mother Boo to be 3D scanned. "If I had Grandma Gatewood's maquette in better order, I might be able to 3D scan her when the scanning team comes in to work on Mother Boo, which would expedite our progress." 3D scanning is a process that the artist frequently uses; it transforms a physical model into a digital format. The digital model can then be enlarged and produced in foam by her vendor. This foam serves as the armature for the artist to carve and sculpt. The Grandma Gatewood maquette has been reworked.
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Below is a post from the artists Instagram on finishing up a maquette for 3D scanning.