Vinas

FIRE STATION 
NO. 2 
MEMORIAL 
PROPOSAL
Gabriel Vinas, MFA

I’d like to begin this proposal by first thanking you, dear reader, 
for taking the time to review it; and in the likely event that you 
are a member of  the fire department and/or the city of  Chandler, 
I humbly thank you for your honorable civil service and for the 
opportunity to show my appreciation for what you do in an artistic 
way. I am aware that at times civilians can take the services you 
provide every day for granted. For this reason I wanted to propose 
a memorial where the heroism of  our cherished first responders 
is beyond question, with a statue that emphasizes the strength, 
bravery, nobility, and grace that this profession requires.
01.
INTRODUCTION
CHANDLER FIRE STATION NO. 2 MEMORIAL PROPOSAL
Gabriel Vinas, MFA
Note: the sculpture featured in this proposal is still in its early stages  
and will undergo 100+ more hours of  refinement until it’s utterly pristine.

Portrait subject to change

During my research on the origins of  the practice of  firefighting, 
many sources point to ancient Rome and some traces of  organized 
firefighting in ancient Egypt. Both of  which have cultures with a 
pantheon of  gods, goddesses, and heroes embedded in their cultural 
traditions. As such, instead of  sculpting a modern firefighter, 
making the statue quite literal and stuck in our time, I wanted to 
create an embodiment of  the profession that references the history 
of  deities that were the gods of  a particular subject. Like Poseidon 
was the god of  the seas and storms to the Greeks, I wanted to 
create an embodied symbol of  the noble profession of  firefighting 
that is timeless. 
02.
A NOBLE
PROFESSION
CHANDLER FIRE STATION NO. 2 MEMORIAL PROPOSAL
Gabriel Vinas, MFA

03.
BRAVING 
THE UNKNOWN
CHANDLER FIRE STATION NO. 2 MEMORIAL PROPOSAL
Gabriel Vinas, MFA
The idea behind the classical style I use is to capture equal parts strength and 
grace within the sculpture. Instead of  modeling the flames as fire, I chose to 
employ a feature I sculpt in my own work often: cloth. This hand-sculpted 
cloth adds a level of  drama and light manipulation where it references the 
flow of  the fire, without the sculpture looking like the figure is burning. 
Instead, it appears like the figure is running through or out of  the binds of 
the unknown to save the child. As we all know, the brave men and women of 
this profession go into buildings shrouded in smoke and mystery not knowing 
what the outcome may be. In my personal work, cloth is used as a formal 
element to explore things unseen, unknown, and perhaps unknowable. The 
hero is portrayed in a vulnerable state with his skin bare to highlight the 
physicality of  the profession and how exposed our service men and women 
are when they are called on to perform acts of  heroism. They often wear 
all sorts of  protective gear, of  course, but they know more than I that they 
can still feel vulnerable; and yet, they do their heroic acts anyway. Which is 
why I wanted to depict the moment where the hero rips through this shroud 
of  the unknown with his halligan in one hand, ripping through the physical 
adversity tying him back, with a firm, poised, and nurturing arm around the 
innocence of  new life that would have otherwise been lost if  he didn’t choose 
to brave into the unknown. 
Halligan can be redesigned to match Firehouse No. 2 model

This brings me to the personal reasons why 
I’m honored to bring this statue to life for your new 
firehouse. I was born in Cuba in 1991. As the history 
buffs reading this will know, the Soviet Union fell in 
1991, giving way to “the special period” as they call it 
in Cuba. A tongue-in-cheek title for what was one of 
the worse periods of  economic hardship for this small 
country. Food was scarce, especially to my family who 
were already lower class. Metaphorically speaking, the 
island was on fire and everyone wanted to leave but 
couldn’t. On top of  all that, my father left my mother 
and I to fend for ourselves. Luckily someone came to 
our aide, a strong but gentle man came into our lives 
when I was just over a year old. This man fathered 
me like I was his own and put out many fires in my 
mother’s life. He was granted an opportunity to leave 
the burning building that was Cuba, taking his chance 
to prepare himself  to come back for us. He immigrated 
to the United States, worked countless jobs, gathered 
his tools, and returned into the “burning building” to 
pull us out. He did so even though he didn’t have to. 
He could have left my mother and I in poverty back 
on that island, but he couldn’t look away. He had to 
act. If  I may address the first responders now directly 
– this is how I imagine you all must feel. You can’t 
look away; you have to act. You feel a duty to make 
a difference in a stranger’s life that is in need just 
like the person I call my father today did for us all 
those years ago. Without knowing who I was going 
to become, he saved an innocent child from a bad 
situation out of  a sense of  moral duty just like you 
all rush into dangerous scenarios regardless of  what 
race, religion, or gender the people inside the burning 
buildings are. It would be my sincerest privilege to 
sculpt and forge a statue that you see every morning 
which serves as a reminder that what you do is of  the 
highest honor. It will be a memorial that honors and 
remembers those who have served, like Captain Mark 
Boulanger, and inspires those who will continue to 
serve their community with dignity and bravery for 
years to come. 
04.
EVERYDAY
HEROES
CHANDLER FIRE STATION NO. 2 MEMORIAL PROPOSAL
Gabriel Vinas, MFA

05.
THE TEAM
CHANDLER FIRE STATION NO. 2 MEMORIAL PROPOSAL
Gabriel Vinas, MFA
BRADLEY CORSO 
Metal + Pouring Specialist
KIM NIKOLAEV 
Special Projects Manager
CHRISTIAN BELL
Production Manager
NICOLE DAVY
Mold Maker
RONALD EDMOND LYONS II
Wax Specialist
JACOB STERNBERG
General Manager +  
Digital Production Manager
VANESSA WINDES-HOPE
Wax Specialist
TOM BOLLINGER
Foundry Owner + 
Operator
You’re in good hands with Bollinger Atelier in Tempe, AZ
DANIEL VINCENT MARIOTTI
Digital + Communications 
Specialist
GABRIEL VINAS, Artist
MATT WEBER
Patina Specialist

06.
SPACE
+ TIME
CHANDLER FIRE STATION NO. 2 MEMORIAL PROPOSAL
Gabriel Vinas, MFA
*Size shown is option 2, refer to following page
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEPT
SPRING 2023
Notification 
of  acceptance
Finalize 
sculpture
Refine  
sculpture
Production 
begins at 
Bollinger
Metal 
pouring + 
finishing
Production 
arrangements 
+ payments
Footing is established on 
poured concrete (based 
on current timeline 
provided by city)
Final delivery 
+ installation 
(based on 
details provided 
by city)

07.
SIZES & 
PRICING
CHANDLER FIRE STATION NO. 2 MEMORIAL PROPOSAL
Gabriel Vinas, MFA
1
1
2
3
2
3
Molds: silicone rubber layup, w/ Hydrocal
$4,800
Cast: incl. mounts and patina
$7,550
Bronze ingot: 90 lb. est. wt. x $6/lb
$540
TOTAL PRODUCTION ESTIMATE
$12,890
ARTIST FEE
$12,000
DELIVERY FEE incl. crane/truck rental
$2,000
Molds on Maquette: silicone rubber layup,  
w/Hydrocal
$4,800
Enlargement: CNC mill to final foam
$8,120
Molds on Enlargement: spray urethane, w/Hydrocal $9,500
Cast: incl. internal armature, mounts, and patina
$35,300
Bronze ingot: 400 lb. est. wt. x $6/lb
$2,400
Stainless steel: internal armature & mounts
$1,000
TOTAL PRODUCTION ESTIMATE
$53,920
ARTIST FEE
$12,000
DELIVERY FEE incl. crane/truck rental
$2,000
Molds on Maquette: silicone rubber layup,  
w/Hydrocal
$4,800
Enlargement: CNC mill to final foam
$18,120
Molds on Enlargement: spray urethane, w/Hydrocal $20,000
Cast: incl. internal armature, mounts, and patina
$70,400
Bronze ingot: 1000 lb. est. wt. x $6/lb
$6,000
Stainless steel: internal armature & mounts
$1,000
TOTAL PRODUCTION ESTIMATE
$122,320
ARTIST FEE
$5,000
DELIVERY FEE incl. crane/truck rental
$2,000
MAQUETTE SCALE: 26” H X 18.75” W X 17.34” D*
MEDIUM SCALE: 52” H X 37.5” W X 36” D*
HEROIC SCALE: 78” H X 73” W X 72” D*
TOTAL ESTIMATE	
	
	
	
$26,890
TOTAL ESTIMATE	
	
	
	
      $67,920
TOTAL ESTIMATE	
	
	
	
     $129,320
This option only shown to illustrate how costly scaling to full-size would be from its current 
state. At this scale the piece would lose its sense of  presence and would require supporting 
features that would need to be designed, as such, this option is not recommended. 
This option provides the largest possible presence in front of  the Firehouse while still keeping 
the cost within the budget constraints.
This option is to illustrate what it would take for this statue to be produced in human scale to achieve 
a more heroic presence. As such, I am prepared and happy to take a substantial pay-cut to my 
personal fee if  this option is chosen, although it would still take a substantial increase to the budget.
*Measurements don’t include pedestal

THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
CONSIDERATION
Gabriel Vinas, MFA
gabriel.vinas@yahoo.com
786.419.8176