TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
CAT NAP ON CAMPUS
A friendly bobcat has found a new home on top of Texas State University’s newest dorm Cibolo Hall. Artist Matthew Mazzotta was commissioned by the Texas State University System Committee of Public Art to install a permanent artwork in correlation to the opening of the Hilltop Housing Complex. His larger than life bobcat sculpture titled “Local Habitat” rests with a soft smile and a dangling paw at the entrance of the residence hall. Large-scale, realistic sculptures are nothing new to the artist, his Flamingos at the Tampa airport and the Palm Beach Election Offices have made national headlines. His art practice focuses on community specific public artworks, starting with research into what the location needs, desires, and how he can make an artwork that the community can resonate with. Mazzotta dove into research about TXST, the students and the city of San Marcos, focusing on the school’s mascot and how the students identify with the Bobcat.
