A statue for Cynt Marshall
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Former Mavs CEO Cynt Marshall got quite the surprise at a warehouse in Dallas on Friday. She arrived to find a statue of herself inside a 3D printer.
- "Oh my Gosh, this is crazy. Oh my God. That's me!" she said when she saw herself.
Why it matters: The statue is part of an exhibit that will debut at the World Cup's fan festival in June, featuring life-size figures of 26 women whose work intersects with sports and STEM.
State of play: The exhibit will expand on Lyda Hill Philanthropies' If/Then initiative — over 100 orange statues across the U.S. of women in STEM fields.
- The sports-themed statues, all lime green, include Olympian and Women's World Cup champion Julie Foudy, pro golfer Lucy Li and performance psychology specialist Colleen Hacker.
- Marshall and the other women posed for scans of themselves early in the process so Dallas-based prop company Shag Carpet could 3D print their likenesses.
How it works: Gel is cured by a UV light, creating hundreds of layers that form the 3D figure.
- The figures are printed in halves, then put together to form a full statue. Marshall's statue took around 15 hours to print.
What they're saying: Marshall tells Axios her statue is a full-circle moment that reminds her of her ninth grade algebra teacher, who inspired her to enjoy math and science.
- "You don't see all of the people who poured into me. But I know who they are, and now I get to be one of those to pour into somebody else," Marshall says.
What's next: The exhibit will be on display at the FIFA Fan Festival June 11-July 19. Entry is free.
- "I love the broader message that some little girl — and boy too — will look at all of us, all of these statues, and think, 'Wow, STEM is cool, and it's fun,'" Marshall says.