In a relationship rare between higher education and the arts, Vanderbilt University has set aside several areas of its campus to be the home to one-of-a-kind sculptures by student-artists.
The first of the artworks, four bronze sculptures, were dedicated Dec. 1. Over the next few years, about a dozen sculptures will take their places on the campus, as part of the "Garden of Great Ideas" program sponsored by the Newington-Cropsey Foundation.
"This artwork promises to accentuate the quality of Vanderbilt's grounds, which was in part what attracted this contribution," said Judson Newbern, associate vice chancellor for planning and construction. "This is the first of what we hope will be several years of unveiling such sculptures by young artists."
Four of the student apprentices at the New York state-based Newington-Cropsey Foundation visited Vanderbilt last year to choose the spots where their art was placed. Four more student-artists will visit the campus in February to meet with campus officials and faculty members to discuss their ideas and the placement of their works. All Newington-Cropsey students mentor under sculptor Greg Wyatt, who gives them dimensional and artistic criteria for the sites, then lets them take over from there.
"I didn't want to direct or choose," said Wyatt, director of the Academy of Art at Newington-Cropsey and a nationally known sculptor. "I wanted them to learn the method by which professionals in this field do these site selections. To learn in a permanent placement about their own works, it's an amazing educational opportunity," he said.
Located in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., the non-profit Newington-Cropsey Foundation is dedicated to studying, conserving and exhibiting the works of Hudson River School artist Jasper Francis Cropsey. Vanderbilt learned of the "Great Ideas" program from U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, who saw a presentation by Newington-Cropsey at the U.S. Capitol.
The placement of a Wyatt sculpture, "The Bill of Rights Eagle," served as the first Newington-Cropsey work when it was placed on Vanderbilt's campus in May 1997. The four new statues that were dedicated Dec. 1 are "Condition of Man," by Larisa Fuchs; "Memory," by Ann Hirsch; "Sands of Time," by Lucy Langenkamp; and "Eternal Hope," by Christine Nossoughi. The statues cover a range of styles, Wyatt said.
"We work in styles of realism; however, these first four styles are expressed so differently in design," he said. "Don't be looking for a pattern or a type because it doesn't exist. I think I'm most proud of that aspect. All the works are very literate in a visual sense; I don't think you'll have any confusion or excessive mystery about what is being portrayed. They come from different ideas; these are different artists who have been awarded this opportunity. That's like Vanderbilt's campus architecture; there's a lot of variety among the buildings," Wyatt said.
In addition to the statue dedications, the four artists' works were recognized with an exhibit that ran Dec. 1-5 in the Vanderbilt University Sarratt Gallery. The exhibit, co-sponsored by the Sarratt Visual Arts Committee, displayed the drawings and studies the students executed in preparing their sculptures.
Vanderbilt University is a private research university of approximately 5,900 undergraduates and 4,300 graduate and professional students. Founded in 1873, the University comprises 10 schools, a public policy institute, a distinguished medical center and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center. Vanderbilt offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education and human development, engineering and music, and a full range of graduate and professional degrees.
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Contact: Beth Fox (615) 322-NEWS (6397)
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