The upper division WOU sculpture students will be presenting site specific installation and performance artworks in the lobby of the Hamersly Library. Each art student will install or perform a piece that somehow responds to some of the Library lobby’s particular characteristics. The artworks will vary significantly due to the wide range of perceptions the students have of the space.

Scott Clendaniels
"MODERN MONKS, KEEPERS OF BOOKS, DIVERSITY, AND TIME"
Feb. 11th performances:  1:15 p.m. & 8:15 p.m.

Artist Statement:
"In modern days, education and knowledge are common things. Most everyone living in developed nations today are literate.  In the past we know that this has not always been the case.  History shows us that during the Dark-ages books were a hard thing to find. In the Dark-ages the only place to find books, were in houses of the rich and small oasis of higher learning.  It is these oasis,’ monasteries and convents, that my piece makes reference to. Ancient libraries were kept by monks who dedicated their lives to protecting and making books. Our library is the center of this institution as well as the location where we keep books.            

No longer are monasteries the only place for books and we are mostly literate. This art piece intends to reflect libraries of the past. We wear robes not to be intimidating, but to resemble the ancient protectors of the library. As part of daily monastic life there was the call to vespers and many other rituals. Monks would participate in organized prayer and chanting.  I have taken these rituals and abstracted them to fit my regime.

Today as a nation we have diversity of religion, as well as diversity of cultures and races.  The brightly colored robes make reference to the past but also to the future, we as a people are adapting to these differences. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) has been a horrid part of our countries past. We have taken dramatic steps in correcting the prejudice left from this group, but we still have much further to go. The robes make reference to the KKK, because of the similarity of design. I have used many different colors; (rather than KKK white) I hope to emulate anti-KKK sentiment. The robes represent the opposite of what the KKK represented because of their bright colors.

Time is also an element of this performance because we meet around the clock to perform our ritual.  The monks are not only the keepers and protectors of the books at the library but also the keepers and protectors of time. The clock gives our day structure and we are all slaves to the clock. By circling the clock as our ritual, I hope to show the importance time plays in all of our daily lives."

John Tyler
"The Death Of Capitalism"
Feb. 12-15;  performances on Feb 14, 6:00 p.m. & Feb 15, 1:15 p.m.

Artist Statement:
"The message is a symbolic portrayal of the failure of capitalism and its demise. The eulogy will describe the life and death of capitalism as a metaphor of the human life. In short, capitalism enjoyed a vibrant youth with the industrial revolution and the great technological innovations of the 20^th century. Sadly its latter days were filled with excess, greed, and the destruction of its environment. Its great vitality, ingenuity and innovation were transformed into lethargy, and selfish ambition.

Capitalism required an ever-expanding market creating higher profits and greater exploitation of resources. The outcome was wage-slavery, global monopoly, and environmental destruction."

Andrew Kerr
"MINE"
Feb. 16-20

Artist Statement:
"This exhibit is an idea put into a presentable state. The state is one of installation art. When looking at the empty space from which I had to work, I saw the uniqueness of the dual level viewing sites, and worked my installation to take advantage of that trait. Working with the idea, to an art work I tried to use one that I feel that many can relate to. The fact is that many of us see the troubles of the modern world around us everyday, and would like to have a place to get away to clear our thoughts. I feel that my representation will appeal to a wide scope of those who see it, and put fourth a message of what we need to recognize and attend, to solve some of the problems that affect us all."   

Robert Hansen
"Out to Pasture"
Feb. 20-25

Artist Statement:
"When I found out that the location of the sculpture was to be the intersection of in the Hamersly Library, I was very excited about the opportunity, and the challenge of filling such a large space.  I have strong skills and interests in architecture and structures, so the large scale and location affords me release to demonstrate these interests.

My concept is a play on the fragility of the past, as we run head long into the future.  Replacing the old with the new, at a constant rate and leaving behind the crumbling remains of what we once build up.  The old doesn’t hold our attention anymore, in the face of shiny buildings, and considering higher technology.

It is my intention that this place is to be provocative, and rich with texture and imagery, but not to the point of being obvious or contrived.  It is also my hope that my audience finds my sculpture an enjoyable experience."

Intermediate Students
United We Sit Divided We Fall
Feb. 25-Mar. 4

This site-specific installation is a collaboration by the Art Department ’s Intermediate 3-D Design students. We are a diverse group and the variety of chairs we’ve used here reflects both our individuality and our identification as a group. Such phrases and descriptions have arose in discussing our statement about this piece: “we are the world”, "we’re an audience”, “breakfast”, “picnic”, “personal sanctuary”, and “idealized experience”.

 It’s been said that this piece is truly metamorphic; it has changed its form many times since its initial inception. We have worked to respond to the space, react to its variables and its limitations, and have come up with this assemblage which includes chairs, either bought or made, and a parachute.  

 LOCATION: 1st floor Main Lobby
Curators: Andrea Henkels Heidinger, advisor & Art Students listed above

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