The Lassen Cougar

Issue date: 5/15/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Darrell Betz A giant spider attacks an LCC student

Students from Lassen Union High School who visited the LCC campus on April 29 were greeted by a giant spider to get a taste of what college life is like. In addition to visiting classes and hearing from Emmy Award Winning film-maker Don Gomez, they witnessed what happens to unsuspecting students when a giant spider is roaming around campus. (Read more about Senior Day on page 5.) The giant spider, which is on display in its web outside of the Creative Arts building, was built by students from the Art 3B: Three Dementional Design class. The spider was a large group effort for a graded project where the students were supposed to manipulate or somehow change something on campus.

One art student suggested putting a giant spider on campus so the work began. Constructing the spider took about a month. They made the spider primarily out of paper mache as well as some piping. Most of the spider was built in the classroom, while some was built at the homes of the group members.
The spider is painted to look like a Black Widow. However, as many have pointed out, the signature red hourglass found on Black Widows is positioned incorrectly. Typically, the hourglass is found on the underside of the spider's belly, while the hourglass on the paper mache spider's back points out the students' artistic freedom and right to express themselves even if it makes their projects not entirely accurate.

In addition to the spider, the students also hung a dummy dressed as an LCC college student next to an open egg sack brimming with tiny baby spiders engulfing their feast. The idea for a student being eaten by the spider was suggested early in the building process and was universally accepted by everyone in the group.

The spider will remain on display in front of the Creative Arts building, so be sure to see it before it crawls away.

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