By Josh Hughes
Have you ever walked to Parks Hall and seen that neglected strip of metal on the ground? Maybe you’ve sat West of the PAC for lunch and wondered why the benches look so out of the ordinary? Sat in one of the two granite chairs at the entrance to the Biology building and questioned their peculiar placement? Congratulations! You’ve accidentally been engaging with the WWU Sculpture Garden, one of the ten acclaimed university collections in the whole country, without realizing it at all. As day to day Western students, it feels easy to drown out some of the seemingly commonplace objects around us.
You’ve most likely taken a class at Western that included a tour of some of the well known sculptures on campus— I know I’ve been in at least three. Even if not, it’s difficult to ignore most of the boldfaced pieces that exist in various pockets of Western’s campus. Richard Serra’s blissfully intrusive “Wright’s Triangle” probably takes the cake for most recognized sculpture on campus, severely narrowing the walkway between north and south campus by the Engineering Building. Similarly, Bruce Nauman’s “Stadium Piece” (aka “Stairs to Nowhere”) firmly grounds seemingly every single campus tour. It seems that someone tries to climb Mark Di Suvero’s “For Handel” (red mosquito piece looking out at the bay) at least once a day. Yet while these excellently big pieces certainly make up a bulk of the art on campus, there’s more than a few works that require a little investigating to even see, yet alone appreciate.
Instead of leaving you to run amuck on your own, scavenging for the more obscure pieces on campus, here’s a rundown of some artworks that might’ve passed you by:
David Ireland — Bigger Big Chair (2004-2007)
Tucked just behind Buchanan Towers, somewhat visible from the road leading to Fairhaven, lies Ireland’s “Bigger Big Chair”. Probably the biggest sculpture on this list, it’s a piece that sadly goes unnoticed by the average passerby because of its placement. The work originally was to be placed out front of Wilson Library, but because of its heavy weight and size, the installation didn’t go as planned.
As it exists today, students walking the path to Buchanan can see the dazzling metal chair, somewhat ridiculous in its proportions and bombast. Yet viewed from certain angles the piece loses any resemblance to a chair it once had, placing it alongside Western’s love for abstracted minimalism.
Norman Warsinske — Wall Relief (1962)
Located on the West side of the Humanities building, Warsinske’s “Wall Relief” was installed to add a sense of vibrancy to the otherwise drab architecture that adorns the building. Inspired by African hex signs yet self described as a “growth form”, the bronze sculpture almost looks like a painting on the wall. However, the shallow relief gives a delicate sense of depth to a largely flat work of art.
Though most hex symbols serve the purpose of warding off malevolent spirits, Warsinske wanted the piece to signal something lighter and more hopeful. It does indeed add a flash of vibrancy to one of the most plain buildings on campus, but its size and placement give it the power to blend in a little too much. In other words, it’s easy to miss when you’re frantically running to class.
Mia Westerlund Roosen — Flank II (1978)
One of the most ardently minimalist pieces on campus, Roosen’s “Flank II” blends in so well with the surroundings that many students don’t even recognize it as a work of art. The piece now rests alongside the walkway by Parks Hall across from the Comm Lawn, where its hardline geometry clashes with the low grass. Made out of copper and concrete stucco, the triangular shape invites the viewer to create their own meaning. Instead of subjecting itself to political or cultural analysis, the work asks the passerby “What does this make you feel? And why?” It’s a tried and true piece of minimalism that feels like an accomplishment to first locate and then think about.
John Keppelman — Garapata (1978)
Hidden behind the trees that line the path between AW and Fairhaven there’s a white aluminum sculpture that resembles a work of origami. The piece is Keppelman’s “Garapata”, another minimalist work that gets lost amidst the other, bigger sculptures outside of AW. Named after a river and canyon intersection in California, Keppelman named the piece for its elegant implied motion. Once a professor at Western, Keppelman often added an air of whimsy to his work, something that comes across in the paperlike forms of “Garapata”.
Scott Burton — Two-Part Chairs, Right Angle Version (1987)
Burton’s work, unlike some of the others in this list, is intentionally obscure and easy to miss. Located just outside and inside the Biology building (there are four chairs in total), the granite chairs blend in with the building so the point they look like normal sitting objects. Yet, something’s not quite right with them, and they don’t appear to complement the architecture of the building as much as they playfully disrupt it.
Burton created a work of subtle oppositions, where the naturally flowing granite is confined to the brutal geometry of right angles. Where students can functionally use the piece as a place to sit, though it’s not exactly the most comfortable piece of furniture in the world. Once the viewer begins to realize this slight discrepancy in the building, a close inspection of Burton’s work reveals its true power as a sculpture. The artwork effectively toys with our conception of what sculpture is, and how we perceive the “ordinary” objects around us.
Eric Nelsen — Ancient Life Symbols (1975)
Inspired by Japanese pottery and sculpture, Nelsen is a Vashon island based artist who creates ornamental tile work. His pieces on campus, located in various spots of the Environmental Building, symbolize aspects of nature and the environment around us. Their place of residence, then, makes total sense. The textured, brightly colored works burst with overlapping triangles, beetle-like forms and splintered geometry. In each tile there’s a relationship to the natural world, showcasing a powerful connection that math and nature and art all share.
George Trakas — Bay View Station (1987)
Last on this list is the best place to sit and take in the Bellingham Bay throughout all of Western’s campus. Trakas’ “Bay View Station”, located on the West side of the PAC and below the main square connecting the PAC and VU, is a permanent urban work that revolves entirely around its interaction with people. A series of walkways and benches that bleed into each other, the sculpture brings a playful twist on the social environment of an outdoor, public space.
The placement of wooden benches that also function as walkways intends to make people run into each other and interact. The metal ramp below the main sect of the station was installed because Trakas saw it as a “natural walkway” that was being eroded by human traffic. In his work, sculpture and interaction go hand in hand, where architecture can mimic the environment and create an inclusive space for social events. It’s a masterfully quiet piece for taking up such a grand amount of space.
As with everything else on this list, it can be easy to overlook, especially in an environment we’re already so used to. If nothing more, this selection of sculptures invites you to go look at the space, architecture, and sculpture around you and question your relationship to it. It’s oftentimes the most mundane things around us that can provide the most insight into our lives.