A facelift for a frog: Much loved Regina sculpture being restored

A much loved sculpture that’s been featured on the front lawn of the University of Regina College Avenue Campus since the 1970s is getting a well deserved restoration.

Artist Frans Lotz is heading up the effort.

“People that have been sharing stories have been telling me that they’ve been climbing on this thing since they were kids,” Lotz said as he worked on the concrete amphibian.

“It’s been a great pleasure since it’s been structurally restored to be able to walk on it again.”

The frog was created nearly a half century ago by a group of university students and their instructor, Joe Fafard.

“A lot of these pieces would have originally been probably leftover pottery from the ceramic studio here at the university,” Lotz explained, pointing out the ceramic shards that cover the sculpture.

Fafard went on to become one of Canada’s most accomplished artists.

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His work was recognized on postage stamps and his sculptures appear in major cities including Vancouver.

His works reflected his roots.

“I’m a farm boy and I worked with animals of this kind and I have a great deal of respect for them,” Fafard told CTV News in a 2013 interview.

Lotz worked with Fafard prior to the artist’s passing in 2019.

“I knew Joe for a number of years,” he said.

“I worked as his assistant, his printmaker and just general assistant in his studio for about five years until he passed away. Tremendous man.”

The restoration has seen bracing and rigid foam added to the frog’s hollow core, ensuring that it will be around for future generations to enjoy.