Sports
Life-Sized Jackie Robinson Statue Makes Stop at Yogi Berra Museum
See how sculptor Brian Birrer created a solid wood sculpture of Robinson, the first African-American to play on a Major League Baseball team.
Scultptor Brian Birrer will bring his life-sized sculpture of Jackie Robinson to the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center on Sunday.
Birrer will be on hand at 1 p.m. to discuss how he created the 250 lb. wood sculpture of Robinson, the first African-American to play on a Major League Baseball team.
Birrer spent more than 900 hours to transform more than 50 pieces of walnut, pine and basswood into a figure so realistic many people reportedly stand only inches away without realizing that the clothing, shoes and hat are all carved out of wood.
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The self-taught artist has traveled around the country with the Robinson statue as well as his past works, which include sculptures of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio.
Robinson started for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He’s the subject of a new sports biopic titled after his jersey number, 42, a number which has been retired by all MLB teams.
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Scroll through the pictures above to watch the sculpture come to life.
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