The Oscar Award Statues Are Made in the Hudson Valley

The Academy selected Orange County’s Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry to craft the new Oscar statuettes

The Academy selected Orange County’s Urban Art Project Foundry to craft the award statuettes that debuted in 2016, blending old and new designs.

Did you know those iconic statuettes given at the Academy Awards were made in the Hudson Valley?

Though the awards ceremony takes place nearly 3,000 miles away, the Academy selected Urban Art Project’s Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry, nestled in sleepy Rock Tavern to recreate the famous statuettes. For the past five years, the team has crafted the Oscar based off a blended 3D scan of an original 1928 statuette, and a modern 2015 version.

“Polich Tallix has made many of such awards honoring all manners of accomplishment, but never before an object of such renowned and instant recognition,” founder of Polich Tallix Dick Polich says.

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Photo courtesy of UAP Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry

 

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Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (left) tours the Polich Tallix facility with founder Dick Polich | Photo courtesy of Sean Patrick Maloney

The statuettes are first redesigned with 3D printing, using digital scans in order to restore the more pronounced features of the 1929 Art Deco sculpture. Afterward, the molds are cast in liquid bronze, sanded, plated with 24-karat gold, and polished. The resulting statuette, according to the Foundry, marries the best features of the classic Oscar to the contemporary form of the modern Oscar. The completed statuette stands at 13.5 inches tall and weighs about eight and a half pounds.

The process has even caught the eye of local politicians; back in 2016, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney toured the Foundry, where he witnessed a “pour” of liquid bronze. “It was fascinating to watch,” says Maloney. “I’m so proud of Dick Polich and all the folks who work [here]. The Hudson Valley has always had a rich artistic history, and now our immensely talented artists get to make Oscar history by bringing a piece of the Hudson Valley to Hollywood.”

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