Arts & Culture
Student art symposium
Columnist
Universtiy of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students have an opportunity to make their campus a little more artistic.
The Carlsten Art Gallery Student Advisory Committee is sponsoring its third Annual Student Public Art Symposium, an opportunity for any UW-SP student to submit artwork to be displayed permanently on campus.
The committee will award a grant of $3,000 to be divided among the winners in order for them to complete their proposals. In years past, two students have been chosen.
David Kuhl, student president of the committee, said this is an invaluable experience for students.
Calling public art a “catch-22,” Kuhl said students are rarely given the opportunity to display their art publicly.
Travis Lester, last year’s committee president, said money is tight for most students and the symposium allows for student’s work to be displayed on campus in a professional manner.
“We want students to be able to do something without financial constraints,” Lester said.
While previous applicants have included proposals for sculptures, installations and performances, Kuhl said the committee is open to submissions that don’t fit into any of these categories.
Public art can be anything and not necessarily permanent, Kuhl said; past displays have even included organic canvas bags printed with designs from various artists.
Kuhl, also being one of two students selected last year, said his display was inspired by a visit to Kohler, a company specializing in bathroom fixtures.
His piece, consisting of five brass figures placed above urinals in a men’s bathroom, can be found in the Noel Fine Arts Center.
However, some students have discovered installing public art isn’t always easy.
“I hope most students realize they will have difficulties,” Lester said.
While it’s up to the student to decide how they want to display their art, Lester said they have to be willing to make adjustments.
Jay Wolf, the student chosen last year alongside Kuhl, said his project ran into problems.
Issues of funding and maintenance plagued his original idea of a fountain in the Dreyfus University Center, forcing Wolf to redesign.
Wolf’s current design, a glass and steel sculpture, is still a work in progress.
Also a work in progress, the symposium, only being in its third year, is still in its infant stage, Lester said.
“It has been a wonderful experience for me to watch this project grow,” Lester said.
Kuhl said he hopes with more publicity, more students will apply.
Regardless of the number of applicants, Wolf said the symposium is an educational tool for the campus.
“A lot of students don’t care about art, but the symposium can get students interested in what’s going on in the fine arts building,” Wolf said.
All applications are located in the NFAC Art and Design Office and are due by Dec. 1.
Any student with questions should contact David Kuhl at dkuhl791@uwsp.edu.
