Theoretically, how would one build a statue of Dennis?

Yes, I’m serious. If it costs less than $10k, I’d love to make a statue of Dennis and put it somewhere in my house. Partly to show off my excellent sensibilities in artistic taste on my otherwise barren walls.

But mostly I just realized I have no idea how statues are made circa 2022, and it sounds fun{,ny}.

The art of marble or bronze sculpting is still around, although much rarer than it used to be. It's a trade like any other, requiring years of study to achieve a high level of competence (notwithstanding the trend of throwing a bunch of random metal pieces together and calling it art - true art requires creativity and skill; one or the other does not suffice).

Many university art programs have a sculpture department. Student and faculty artists will make works on commission, although it's hard to find good figurative art among the sea of abstract political B.S. If you're really serious, Italy is the place for the best artisans, as it has been since the Renaissance[1].

There are still some old-school sculptors around [2] in America who take the craft seriously.

[1] http://www.spartacopalla-scultore.it/english.html [2] https://corneliussullivan.com/

Find a local sculptor you like and commission a work! Your budget won't get you somebody famous, but it's enough.

Maybe consider a bust rather than a life size full body sculpture. I think that a bust of Dennis Ritchie would be a pretty awesome quirk in somebody's house. Engineering heroes aren't normally celebrated like that.

Check out Veijo Rönkkönen. A modern sculptor.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/veijo-roenkkoenen-sculpt...

This artist died in 2010, so won't available for commissions XD. However, it's a cool aesthetic and it's worth checking out the article just to see it.

Practically speaking, if you actually want to find a sculptor to commission a work, search for a local sculptor's guild and check out local galleries or exhibitions. Many works at exhibitions will be available for sale and will have prices listed, which will give you some idea about cost.

Plus, visiting local galleries if you haven't done it before is a fun adventure!

I mean a statue-homage in his city or town, I’m not even American but would donate to this cause.

Certainly. I would too. But wouldn’t it be cool to go down to your laundry room or wherever and see a bigass Dennis Ritchie statue?

I suppose I could put it in the yard, facing a neighbor’s window. Then we’d be able to dress Dennis for Halloween and Christmas too.

But for real, is it completely impractical to want your own statue of someone? Rich people do it, and it’s been a few centuries, so I bet technology has worked its usual magic on the price...

EDIT: in Germany you can get a 3D printed 10 inch figurine for $400: https://doob3d.com/ so this is possible in principle.

Other refs: https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-life-s...

Requiring something weatherproof which can be displayed outside and not degrade quickly when exposed to the elements will dramatically increase the cost. Can you make your artistic point with something which can only be displayed inside?

How about designing a DR balloon instead? Costs would be divided by mass production.

It's a shame that the Americans don't have a culture of putting luminaries (other than presidents obviously) on their bank notes; it's a wonderful and far-reaching way of celebrating a person's contribution to the culture. Even so, Ritchie might be considered a little niche for such an accolade, but it's a nice thought experiment nevertheless.

His recognition level is niche but his contributions aren’t. His language (C) and OS both literally (UNIX->BSD->macOS/iOS) and in design (Linux/Android) is powering a huge part of civilization.

I think the best monument to DR is the software billions of us use every day. Best thing we can do is make more people aware of his work.