ORANGE COUNTY, New York — The famous Oscar statues are made at a workshop in the Hudson Valley region of New York state.
The iconic statuettes have been a symbol of the best in film since 1929.
For the better part of the last decade, they’ve been made at Urban Art Projects in Orange County.
Entertainment reporter Joelle Garguilo visited the workshop to see how the statues are made.
“As you dig into the process, you’ll see that it’s something that you can’t rush,” Jake from Urban Art Projects said.
The golden figurines are a labor of love, with countless talented people behind the scenes creating the most famous trophy in entertainment.
“Most everybody here has a part to play,” Jake said.
The process begins with a mold, then a wax copy.
Then from wax to the ceramic shell, 12 layers of coating by hand are added, which take up to a day to dry.
From the the wax Oscar inside the ceramic shell is melted out and replaced with bronze.
The bronze Oscar then heads to the finishing department to get sanded down to fix any imperfections.
Every detail is meticulously crafted with immense pride.
Each statue is then sent to EPNER Technology in Brooklyn where they’re plated in copper and then nickel plated.
And finally, 24-karat gold.
The statuettes make their way back up to UAP for final assembly.
Even though this workshop is located about 3,000 miles away from Hollywood, the Oscar award embodies two distinct narratives of greatness. One is the story of the skilled artisans who meticulously create the award, while the other revolves around the iconic figures who are honored with it.
“We pour our hearts into this piece. For me to see it at the ceremony, there’s no words,” a UAP employee said.
“The work here is hard, but everybody does it with a smile on their face,” Jake said.
The statuettes stand 13.5 inches tall and weigh 8.5 pounds.
March 2 is Oscar Sunday! Watch the 2025 Oscars live on ABC and Hulu.
Live red carpet coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. ET 12:30 p.m. PT with “On The Red Carpet at the Oscars.”
Watch all the action on the red carpet live on ABC, streaming live on OnTheRedCarpet.com and on the On the Red Carpet Facebook and YouTube pages.
The 97th Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, begins at 7 p.m. ET 4 p.m. PT. and will be followed by a special preview of “American Idol.”
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