Bronze Sales to Benefit Animal Science Cole Facility/Horse Barn

"The Jack",  a bronze sculpture of Action Jackson, is available for purchase to fund Animal Science facilities.

What do you get when you combine a little girl, an artistic dad and a donkey with a sweet tooth? In this department, the result is a quarter-scale bronze bust, entitled “The Jack,” created to raise funds to improve animal facilities.

For the past few years, Eliana Meyer, now 6 years old, has delighted in visiting a prized donkey named Action Jackson that belongs to the breeding herd in Animal Science where Eliana’s mom, Deanne Meyer, is the Cooperative Extension Waste Management Specialist. Nearly every weekend, Eliana brings Action Jackson a fistful of carrots and StarBurst candies to spice up his diet. (Warning: those sweets are Action Jackson’s limit!)

Action Jackson is on loan to the department by a private donor and stands at stud in the Animal Science horse barn. Over the past eight years he’s bred 134 mares — more than any of the stallions at the barn — siring many mules that have gone on to excel both in the show ring and on the racetrack.

When Eliana’s dad, Trent Meyer, an accomplished bronze sculptor, began to toy with the idea of creating a sculpture to be used as a department fundraiser, Eliana was quick to suggest her old friend Action Jackson as the perfect subject. Trent decided to sculpt a limited edition of 50 signed and numbered bronze statues. The price  is $1,500 each.

Proceeds from the sale of Action Jackson’s bronze likeness will be used to create a new and more welcoming public entrance to the Cole Facility, an Animal Science facility used to support departmental teaching, research and outreach. This area, which includes intensive research facilities for both large animals and laboratory species, the Meat Lab and the Horse Barn, is a popular destination for campus visitors. Plans include developing an area where visitors can relax, perhaps even picnic, under a large oak tree in the southwest corner. An ultimate goal is to connect the Cole Facility with the Arboretum, which will immensely increase public access and promote education on agricultural, research and teaching animals.

Anyone interested in learning more about or purchasing one of “The Jack” sculptures can contact Dan Sehnert, Animal Facilities Coordinator, at (530) 752-1256 or djsehnert@ucdavis.edu.

Sculptor, Trent Meyer, shows the bronze to its model while his daughter, Eliana, enjoys a ride.