Ave Maria University will receive a sculpture honoring the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The artwork, created by Catholic artist Timothy Schmalz, will depict Jesus Christ embracing Kirk.
Donors funded the commission after the university’s president learned the artist was creating the piece.
Ave Maria University is honoring Charlie Kirk with a sculpture that will be delivered to the campus early next year.
The commissioned artwork is by renowned Canadian and Catholic artist Timothy Schmalz to commemorate the life and legacy of Kirk, a conservative activist, who was shot and killed Sept. 10 during a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Ave Maria will receive the first bronze casting once the clay model is completed in January 2026, according to a news release.
The sculpture depicts Jesus Christ embracing Kirk, which the university said will stand as a “profound addition to the fine art collection on the university’s campus, honoring Kirk’s public witness of the dignity of the unborn, the sanctity of the family and the existence of objective truth,” according to the news release.
Ave Maria was able to commission the sculpture through the generosity of dedicated donors. No details were available about the cost or decision where the artwork will be on display.
It may be placed in Ave Maria’s parish church near a crucifix by Schmalz that is the largest ever commissioned, according to the university.
The Catholic university was a dream of its founder, Tom S. Monaghan, who provided an initial $250 million gift. The Barron Collier family provided a land donation.
In 2003 the university was established in Ave Maria in eastern Coller County. By decree, the Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida said it became the first new Catholic university since 1963. There are 1,300-plus students, according to the university website.
More: NCH planning 150-bed hospital in Ave Maria for eastern Collier
How did Ave Maria learn of the artwork?
Securing the sculpture was possible when Mark Middendorf, president of the university, attended a private unveiling of several new sculptures by Schmalz on Sept. 17.
At the event, Schmalz said he was working on a piece of Jesus Christ and Kirk that he had begun just days after the shooting.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization advocating for conservative politics and beliefs on high school and college campuses.
His assassination has spurred a revival of conservatism yet contentious exchanges between his supporters and critics on social media has meant some people have lost their jobs.
There is a movement to rename streets in Kirk’s memory; Florida Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Dade City, filed a bill Oct. 7 that would require all 40 state universities and colleges to rename a campus street in Kirk’s name, according to USA Today Florida.
Ave Maria is not alone in pursuing artwork in Kirk’s honor.
New College of Florida in Sarasota is commissioning a statue that will be placed on the campus but details are slim about who the donors are, the artist and cost, according to Sarasota Magazine. Kirk owned a home in nearby Longboat Key.
“Charlie Kirk knew that universities are ground zero for free speech and the marketplace of ideas. These ideas are not luxuries, but the foundation of a free republic,” New College President Richard Corcoran said.
Ave Maria president Middendorf said he was deeply moved by what Schmalz told him about the sculpture he was working on.
The artist had shared that no one had commissioned the piece and his inspiration had come after speaking with his daughter the day Kirk was shot.
A personal connection to the artist
Schmalz told Middendorf he dropped everything the next day and began working on the sculpture as a way to memorialize Kirk’s life and legacy.
Middendorf asked if Ave Maria University could commission the statue and Schmalz accepted.
Multiple benefactors pledged their support. The university will receive the first bronze casting once the clay model is completed in January.
“This sculpture is more than a work of art, it is a call for our students to live courageously for Christ,” Middendorf said.
He said it embodies Ave Maria University’s consecration to the service of the truth and “deep commitment to cultivating a joyful community where faith informs every aspect of life.”
He added: “Charlie Kirk left a lasting legacy, and through this piece, we pray it will inspire students to live boldly, love Christ wholeheartedly and radiate His truth and light to the world.”
Middendorf said he admired Kirk’s search for truth.
“Engaging in peaceful dialog with others who believe things contrary to ourselves is profoundly needed in our current climate,” he said. “My hope is that our students will continue to engage our culture with courage, sharing the truths of our faith.
The new sculpture continues a relationship between Ave Maria and Schmalz. Nearly two decades ago, Monaghan commissioned Schmalz to create two works; a statue of the Annunciation at the Rosary Wall, and the monumental crucifix in the Ave Maria parish church, which is the largest corpus ever commissioned, according to the news release.
The Kirk sculpture may face Schmalz’s “Life Monument,” a reflection of Kirk’s passionate witness to the dignity of human life, the university said.