Lights, lens and international legacy. Jacksonville University professor Alex Willemin, chair of the media arts department, has earned four 2025 Telly Awards for the short documentary Obelisk: Jacksonville University’s Love Letter to Arlington.
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards annually showcase the best work created within television and across video, for all screens. Receiving more than 13,000 entries globally from all 50 states and six continents, the Telly Awards are the gold standard for video creation.
Willemin’s award-winning documentary chronicles the vision, craftsmanship and international collaboration behind the Obelisk, the iconic public art piece in the center of Arlington’s turbo roundabout, located at the university’s main entrance to campus.
“My primary goal when I started making this project was to highlight the immense amount of work that goes into creating a piece of art,” Willemin said. “Most people don’t see the planning, craft, collaboration and effort that goes toward creating art — they only see the finished product. The documentary hopefully gives you a glimpse into the work ethic of an artist.”
Designed by artist Shan Shan Sheng of San Francisco, the Obelisk was fabricated in
Germany before its installation just beyond the front gates of
campus. Willemin traveled with university officials to the Peters Studio in Germany
to capture footage used in the documentary.
“The footage I was able to get at the Peters Studio is what probably separated my work in the documentary from other submissions this year. It was truly a global work, like the Obelisk itself, and Jacksonville University made that happen,” he said.
“This documentary captures the essence of the Obelisk — a symbol grounded in the community’s rich history and reaching upward with vision and purpose,” Jacksonville University President Tim Cost said. “We are immensely proud of Professor Willemin and his students in the film program for capturing the creativity and spirit of the Obelisk.”
“The project couldn’t have been done without the support of Jacksonville University,” Willemin said. “To have the hard work of my students and I be recognized is exhilarating, I can’t wait to get back in the fall and continue creating work with the students in the film program.”
