Public Sculpture Exhibit

Artist Statement: Seven Iceland poppies stem from the center of a splash of water. Each flower consist of three petals that represent being made new. Poppies are a reoccurring motif of the artist and in this particular piece are used to reflect individuals who have made Jesus Christ their Lord. The inspiration comes from various areas of scripture: Living Water (John 4), Rooted in Christ (Colossians 2: 6-7), and flourishing through having a relationship with Christ.

Artist Statement: Although the United States may not be as extreme as other places, there is still an expectation that women are to be "pure." This piece illustrates a justice scale that shows how the world has put so much weight and value in the purity of women and how in doing so it is devaluing women. Why does the world sexualize woman for things that they have no control over? Why are women belittled for their anatomy? Why are women being punished for nothing at all? On one side of my justice scale we can see the white daisy that is representative of purity. On the other side we see a female figure that is completely red, in an ashamed pose, and held together by strings like a puppet. In my piece the daisy holds most of the weight, although it is just a flower, it is shown as heavier and more important than the human figure.

Artist Statement: A cycle is a series of events that are regularly repeated in the same order. An endless cycle is a trap. Relationships can sometimes follow a cycle similarly. They are not always happy or good cycles. In the case of Ciclo sin Fin, the representation of a secret relationship that I experienced in the last year is finally being presented to the public. I decided to name it Ciclo sin Fin because throughout the time that I was involved with this individual, I felt trapped, and it felt never ending on various occasions. There are two colors representing two individuals, one of them being myself. They are also cut in particular shapes that contrast each other. The yellow ribbons are cut to end in a soft round form, while the blue ribbons are cut sharper and straight. The process that I took into bending these ribbons was also a separating factor between the two ribbons. All the curves that I created on the blue ribbons were done by hitting them aggressively with a hammer. The curves that I created on the yellow ribbons were all done with my own force as they were held onto the vice, a calm alternative than how I created the bending on the blue ribbons. This internally was to relieve some aggression after the end of this relationship. I decided to encage these two individuals (ribbons) to represent the never-ending cycle that they created. At times both made attempts to escape the cycle, but somehow, they were led back to each other to continue the endless cycle.

Artist Statement: One step forward, three steps back, lost memories, growth in pain, and music to groove to plus exploration of steel gave way to what I have titled “Lola”. This process of bending, mending, and welding steel rods to form Lola headed way a new direction of growth in my own heart and a love for steel sculptures. 

Artist Statement: My goal for this piece is to brighten students’ day as they walk by. I will do my best to make the sculpture one students will want to go and see. I titled it “The Butterfly Effect” because, if a student decides to change their daily routine and they walk past my sculpture, I want them to see it and have a new outlook on the day. I want them to smile and enjoy their next class, even if its physics. The butterfly above was my inspiration. My mission is to complete the sculpture and be happy with the result because if I’m not happy with it, I know students won’t be happy either.

Artist Statement: Nature. I feel like humans take it for granted since we are within nature all of the time. We walk around grass, see it while we are driving or even just the plants that are in your home right now. Even water in general that is freely around us in our homes, lakes, oceans, or ponds is a beautiful creation in nature. I created a sculpture that asks people to observe and appreciate nature and realize how beautiful the world that God gave us is. By mimicking the lines, shapes, and motions that waves, plants, leaves, flowers, and bark obtain I was able to create a tree like sculpture with these shapes and make a bigger form. The lines create movement throughout the piece along with organic shapes. Additionally, I chose more Earth toned colors such as brown, orange, blue, and green and brightened them to illuminate the objects even more to enhance their beauty. To further develop the surface, I took what I love, painting, and physically painted two-dimensionally on a three-dimensional piece to further put what I love to do in this piece. Ultimately, this nature sculpture is to be viewed from afar while you are walking and catch your eye such as nature does all around you.

Artist Statement: In this piece I aim to explore my relationship with anger and how it has affected me and the people around me. Anger is an emotion that everyone experiences, whether justified or not. Despite it being a common experience, anger is often looked down on. It isn’t a socially acceptable emotion to display, especially if it is being displayed by someone who is traditionally supposed to be gentle and docile. In this project I wanted those who are told to be gentle to get a chance to feel their anger. I aim to portray this narrative with a combination of steel and floral wire; constructing the rabbit (which is traditionally a soft and quiet creature) out of steel, making it a much more intimidating presence. I made the human (something that has a history of hunting and killing rabbits) into a small, frail form constructed out of floral wire, a thin and delicate material. Much more delicate than steel. The rabbit is displayed devouring the human. Through this narrative the rabbit is finally given the opportunity to overcome what was once its oppressor. Anger, wielded correctly, can be a powerful motivator to better look after ourselves. 

Artist Statement: A lot of my art centers around fear, but more importantly the confrontation of it. By physically creating any form of art based around my fears I can step back and fully look at the fear and find what truly bothers me about it. The sculpture of Scrappy J. is centered around this artistic principle. The ghost was created welding steel sheets together to create the scrappy fabric effect. Both eyes have been painted with a florescent green and glow in the dark paint. 

Artist Statement: Over the summer I was given the opportunity to work with kids at a summer camp. Every day they were given time to go outside and just simply have fun. As I watched I could remember the times when I was their age. No worries, no assignments and no major conflicts as long as I was outside enjoying being young life was good. Though the sculpture is supposed to depict a young black American girl I don’t want that to be the main focus. Because as kids you do not understand the concept of race or who or what you are. I want people to view this sculpture and be able to reflect on a time when they had no worries. Lastly, the title of the piece is called "Lil mama" because in my family that is what we called most young girls that resembled or acted like their moms at a young age. Though the nickname is harmless to the child; it does push the idea that young black girls are more mature than they actually are. Though she will one day grow up in this moment in time her childhood is more precious than ever.

Artist Statement: I like to create art that allows people to see beyond the lens of reality through a series of what-ifs. So, what if large dendro slimes were real? The dendro slime is a common enemy in the game Genshin Impact. By bringing it into reality, people will get the chance to step into the characters' shoes and get an idea of the actual size of the slime.

Artist Statement: Forks are a commonly used, household utensil.  They are a tool for providing for yourself; they give you fulfillment.  This is why I would like to create a big fork sculpture on campus.  As college students, we are here to learn, to gain knowledge, and to find our way.  The fork represents the craving of humans to fulfill our desires and to seek out something that will sustain our minds.  I hope the public will take away the idea that forks are representative of the need to provide for yourself and think about how they are fulfilling their desires throughout their time on campus.