In the early 1980s, Washington’s National Cathedral was losing relevance with the younger generation. In an effort at outreach, they partnered with National Geographic to hold a “Draw-a-Grotesque” competition for schoolkids. (A grotesque is a gargoyle, without the water-draining feature; it’s purely decorative.) The winning designs would actually be carved in stone and installed on the cathedral.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Grand Prize winner was of a toothy man; the first and second runners-up were of a girl and a squirrel. But it’s the third runner up that today is most notable. Thirteen-year-old Chris Rader of Nebraska submitted his drawing of Darth Vader’s head. “I read that grotesques are often demons or monsters,” Rader explained. “Darth Vader is a lot like a demon. He’s evil, so I thought he would be a good choice.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A stonemason was hired, and all four designs were carved and added to the cathedral.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
While you can’t make out the Dark Lord of the Sith in long shots of the cathedral, an on-site placard provides guidance for visitors with binoculars. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I imagine Lucasfilm let this one slide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the early 1980s, Washington’s National Cathedral was losing relevance with the younger generation. In an effort at outreach, they partnered with National Geographic to hold a “Draw-a-Grotesque” competition for schoolkids. (A grotesque is a … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[147],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n