Ahead of football title game, IU moves to protect a fountain after years of fishy antics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — An Indiana University fountain and its bronze fish sculptures have a history, and the college is making an effort to protect the fish as the football team prepares to play in a national championship game on Monday night in Miami.

An IU spokesperson shared a statement on Thursday with News 8 that the sculptures have been temporarily removed: “Given Showalter Fountain’s long history of sea creatures going on championship adventures, we’ve given our bronze fish time to safely prepare for the big game on Monday. The fish will be back soon — hopefully with a win to celebrate.”

Visit Bloomington says fine arts professor Robert Laurent designed Showalter Fountain, which was installed in 1961. In the university’s Fine Arts Plaza, Laurent’s “Birth of Venus” features a 15-foot sculpture of the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility reclining in a clamshell, surrounded by the bronze fish that weigh hundreds of pounds.

A 1992 report in the Journal of the Indiana Student Personnel Association brought together some of the myth and truths about Showalter Fountain. “The Fountain is a recognized place where celebrations and symbolic cerem...