Public Art on Campus

Brooklyn sculptor Wendy Klemperer, who has had a lifelong fascination with animals, installed a ram sculpture in front of the Campus Center and two elks in front of Hale Hall.

Says the artist: "The imagery that pervades my work reflects a lifelong fascination with animals. To make the large scale sculptures I search scrap yards for industrial refuse ravaged by usage and demolition. Bent and twisted, such pieces contain energy and potential new life. My welding process is a kind of three dimensional gesture drawing. A network of steel lines builds a skeletal form containing both presence and absence.  I investigate the body language of animals to express a feeling or state of being, with motion conveying emotion. Focusing on the animal realm seems no less important to me than on that of humans- observing the continuity between all forms of life on earth."

Made of salvaged steel the networks of steel lines appear in motion, conveying emotion. Absence is present; and the environment fills the void.

2015 / Donated by Student Government Association

METASPACE/Observation 31… sounds like the theme of a space shuttle mission or the latest sci-fi blockbuster.  Actually, it’s a little more down to earth than that: it’s a piece of campus art created by acclaimed Long Island artist Dimitry Schidlovsky.

Some of you know Professor Schidlovsky; he is a long-time adjunct professor in the visual communications department, and a nationally known illustrator whose work has appeared on the front cover of The New York Times Science Times section. His latest work – a 7’ by 16’ oil on canvas – was commissioned with a grant by alumna and generous donor Theresa M. Santmann. Ms. Santmann made the donation with the stipulation that it be used to fund campus art .

Metaspace Observation 31 is a series of striking images steeped in ambiguity, with scale that can be perceived as vast or microscopic, as depicting either outer or inner spaces. These works meld organic and mechanical forms, and resonate with sound, movement and emotion. By evoking new dimensions and hidden worlds, the artist draws the viewer in and engages the imagination.

2015 / Funding donated by Theresa Santamann