Made-in-R.I. stuffie sculptures are almost done cooking. Here’s a sneak peek. – The Boston Globe

”It looks pretty real,” Lancia, the creative director of Lance Industries, said in a telephone interview. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Much has been written about the stuffie installations since the concept was first unveiled earlier this year. Several of them will be placed at airports in other parts of the country as part of Rhode Island Commerce’s destination marketing efforts. Visit Rhode Island! We’ve got stuffies!

It turns out they’re being made right here in Rhode Island by a family company.

In making the sculptures, Lance Industries had to get everything just right – the appearance of the parsley, the texture of the paprika, the shape of the half-shell. They brought in actual stuffed quahogs to use as models.

Then, “the guys ate them for lunch,” Lancia said.

Even Rhode Map did not have the (lemon) juice to secure a photo of the almost-finished stuffie installation from Rhode Island Commerce, the agency that’s ordering them from Lance Industries, but we did get a photo of a plate on which the stuffie will sit as part of the installation. It’s taller than the person holding it up.

“I think it’s an unusual and sort of interesting piece,” Lancia said. “When people go by it, they’re going to definitely stop.”

Rhode Island Commerce said it’s hopeful that stuffie installations will be live later this year at airports in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. In the meantime, Commerce has launched augmented reality experiences at some airports.

Anika Kimble-Huntley, chief marketing officer at Rhode Island Commerce, said the stuffies might be a little shocking at first, but once that wears off, what’s left behind is a taste of Rhode Island.

”The people that have heard about it in other markets are like, wow, that actually looks delicious,” Kimble-Huntley said in an interview.

The stuffies are just one small (albeit memorable) part of the state’s broader marketing efforts, which right now include telling some places that we’re closer than they think and others that to experience the best of everything, they should visit Rhode Island.

Historically, the public reception to these sorts of campaigns among Rhode Islanders can be … well, it can be cooler, or it can be warmer, if you will. Rhode Islanders aren’t really the target audience – we’re already here, and don’t need to be urged to come. But the state, for an upcoming campaign, did market research to solicit the thoughts of actual Rhode Islanders, a priority for Governor Dan McKee, Kimble-Huntley said.

A big piece of feedback: It has to be believable and it has to be authentic.

Authentic, like a sculpture of a Rhode Island stuffie modeled on actual Rhode Island stuffies, made in Rhode Island out of former Dunkin’-cup styrofoam. Sounds about right.

This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

Brian Amaral can be reached at brian.amaral@globe.com. Follow him @bamaral44.