Outdoor sculptures move downtown

By Shelly Williams/managing editor

Last April, sculptures decorated the lawns of NW Campus. However, after visiting TR Campus earlier this year, art associate professor Angel Fernandez felt the sculptures would have a second home there.

The District then helped move the outdoor sculptures to TR Campus. Opening the week of Oct. 19-23, the Sculptures on the River exhibit can be seen in Trinity River Plaza and other sides of the campus as part of TR’s dedication week.

“It seemed a shame to only have the work installed for a limited period of time [on NW],” Fernandez said. “Each artist made an incredible effort to create each piece.

“The work beautified NW, and NW enhanced the work. TR is another context which the work can be enjoyed.”

The pieces, created by students, local and national artists and TCC faculty, present a show that varies from abstract and formal work to traditional figurative work.

Artist Elizabeth Dooher, who created Reconfigure from bronze and wax, said in her artist statement that she hopes her piece possesses both the feelings of growth and decay.

“I am interested in the history that exists in the remains of a living thing and in the cycle of life, specifically how one organism utilizes the remains of another,” she said.

While Dooher’s piece conveys the life cycle, Guillermo Sancen, creator of Playing the Angle, said in his statement that he hoped his piece will imply the themes of movement and transformation. His steel piece will be repositioned several times to help convey his message.

“My goal is to accept nothing, the search for new angles, new sides to discover,” he said.

“Three sides of a triangle are extremely versatile whether it is an enclosed geometric shape or an open form. The options of angles are endless.”

Fernandez said that the movement of the sculptures to TR Campus was a great example of intercampus cooperation and expects the outdoor exhibit to have a good turnout.

“Outdoor work tends go over pretty well,” Fernandez said. “People are not accustomed to seeing the work in that setting. They tend to think of it in terms of painting or drawing, the 2-D media in the arts. There is something for everyone to enjoy.”

The exhibit is available anytime throughout the semester for viewers. Tours of the exhibit also will be available during dedication week.