Every year in May UCSD hosts the Sun God Festival, which for most students is an excuse to get drunk and skip class. It is held on the lawn surrounding the Sun God, a large bird-like statue in the middle of campus. There are many student organizations that set up tables & other activities, such as inflatable sumo wrestling or pixie bike jumping. Usually, the controversial student publication, The Koala, has some kind of water-based activity. One year ago it was a slip-n-slide, and this year it was a slip-n-side too, but this time with a chute off a small embankment.
All of this, I suppose, is in tribute to, or because of the statue for which the festival is named. After all, the artist who made it was French, until 2002, when she died.
What's not to like about this entry in the Stuart Collection? It was the first item in the collection. It's colorful, simple, vibrant, and not hard to interpret. Perhaps out of all the items in the collection, this is the one UCSD students actually pay attention to most. And that's saying something, if you've ever met an UCSD undergraduate.