Research Casting International (RCI), an expert in the preservation, restoration, and fabrication of museum specimens, has shared details of its project to create a life-sized lake monster recreation for the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, a science museum in Vermont, US.
The recreation features in the exhibition, Champ: America’s Lake Monster, and is accompanied by hands-on interactives, local history, and real-world science that explore the legends surrounding Lake Champlain and investigate the science of astonishing creatures.
Crafting the legend
In 2024, the RCI team worked with the experts at ECHO to examine the evidence surrounding Vermont's famous lake monster, Champ, and develop a life-size recreation that reflects how the monster may have looked.
The project was completed entirely in-house by the company's team of sculptors, artists, and theming technicians, and installed by RCI above the museum's mezzanine.
Elliott Katz, senior exhibition designer, Echo Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, says: "RCI took our rough sketch of Champ—America’s Lake Monster—and guided us through every step needed to bring her to life inside our museum on Lake Champlain.
"We chose RCI for their impressive portfolio of ambitious projects, state-of-the-art facilities, and exceptionally talented craftspeople. Their team did a masterful job sculpting Champ and even handled transportation and installation at our museum.
"Champ is a keystone in an exciting new exhibit at ECHO on LakeChamplain, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. Thank you, RCI!"
Since its inception in 1987, RCI has contributed to acclaimed thematic displays, such as the rotunda in Jurassic Park, now on display at Universal Studios.
The company's work can be seen around the world, from the Geological Museum in China to the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre in Kuwait and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Last month, RCI celebrated the newest occupant of the Steele Ocean Sciences Building on the Dalhousie University campus in Halifax, Nova Scotia: the 18-metre skeleton of a blue whale.
