2 artists say they’re making 2 new statues of Joe Paterno

Two artists involved in producing the statue of Joe Paterno removed from outside Beaver Stadium in 2012 say they are working on two new statues of the former Penn State football coach in a secret location.

Cousins Yesid Gomez and Wilfer Buitrago say they are working on the replicas in Ephrata, about 70 miles northeast of Philadelphia. They say they haven’t contacted the Paterno family or artist Angelo Di Maria, who holds the copyright on the original design. Philly.com reports DiMaria declined comment Sunday on the new statues.

Gomez says finishing the statues will take another month and bronze casting another four or five months. He says they don’t have a sponsor for the estimated $50,000 cost of each, but they’re not worried about money but about “making a statement.”