Pomona Today: “Why Is That Here?”

In the background of a busy campus is a wide range of public art, each piece with its own little story to tell...

Walking out of Smith Campus Center one afternoon in early spring, Aliza Norwood '05 remarks in passing, "Why is that here?"

"That" is a steel and granite sculpture sloping up from the ground in front of the Rains Center. And Norwood's question is not an unusual one. Within gallery walls, we are quick to accept the doctrine of art for art's sake, but art in public places immediately provokes a barrage of questions: What is it? Who put it here? And why?

For most members of the community, Pomona's public works of art tend to recede into the background of busy college life. Take a good look around, however, and you'll find that pieces of public art dot the campus. Some are fun and playful; others almost ponderously monumental. Some, like the famous Orozco mural of Prometheus in Frary Dining Hall, can't be missed; others are tucked away in shady niches to be discovered only by those seeking a quiet corner.

Underlying all of these pieces, according to Marjorie Harth, director of the Pomona College Museum of Art and professor of art history at the College, is the "general conviction that having works of art in a setting like this, particularly an educational setting, enhances the educational mission of the College, which is to open people's minds, people's eyes to the world."

There is something gloriously impractical about a public work of art, Harth admits. In a collegiate setting that is for the most part highly purposeful, art in public places meets no practical need, serves no easily identifiable function. However, she explains, "it is that very lack of function, that kind of unnecessariness, that is part of the value in the work of art--because it is something that is there in its own right."

What you don't see when you look at a piece of campus art is the array of problems and complications that probably had to be overcome in order to bring it to light and keep it intact. In fact, the stories behind some of Pomona's campus artworks illustrate a few of the questions and difficulties inherent in the display of public art.

Installation: Installing a large piece of sculpture is never an easy matter, but what do you do with a donated piece of art that weighs in at around 10 tons? After former faculty member John Mason donated his monumentally large Cross Form (1964) to the College, the sculpture simply sat in the Art Department's storage area for years. Ultimately, Cross Form didn't have to travel far. The glazed ceramic sculpture, which resembles a thick wall, now sits in Lyon Garden next to Thatcher Music Building--a distance of mere yards from its storage space.

Maintenance: In the Spirit of Excellence (1989)--the prominent sculpture noticed by Aliza Norwood--was originally intended to rise directly from the ground, an embodiment of its title. But as the College and the artist, Professor Emeritus Norm Hines '61, learned the hard way, this design proved impossible, at least in practical terms. The mowers and sprinkler systems used by the landscaping department continually damaged the base of the sculpture. Needless to say, the sculpture now rests safely on its current pedestal, dry and free of grass clippings.

Overpopularity: Another of Professor Hines' several sculptures on campus, First Principle (1982) became popular with students interested in rather unconventional extracurricular activities, un-sponsored by the College. "We would go out and find candles all over it, for some solstice celebration or something," says Hines. Normally, you'd expect a work's popularity to be a sign that students valued the work in some way--a good thing. In this case, the tall granite sculpture was certainly the center of attention, but it required even more attention to clean it up again.

Authenticity: Walk into the peacefully shady green area between Sumner and Rembrandt halls, peer at the low north wall and notice the quiet, unassuming bronze fountain set in high relief from the stone. The fountain looks authentic, doesn't it? Kudos, then, to those involved in its re-creation. The sculpted bronze of the original work--commissioned in the 1920s as a memorial piece--was stolen in the 1970s. Working from a photograph, an artist subsequently re-cast the piece into its current form.

Vandalism: Though the outside world may view the priceless José Clemente Orozco mural of Prometheus in Frary Dining Hall as the most famous piece of art on campus, some members within the college community are unaware--or contemptuous--of its renown. Over the years, the mural has been the target of numerous acts of vandalism, perhaps most obviously in the effort to repaint parts of the mythical figure's anatomy. However, conservation efforts, headed by Marjorie Harth, have kept the piece intact and brought it more prominently into the public eye. Her recent publications include a brochure distributed within the dining hall tables to encourage, at the very least, a more informed understanding of the work's importance.

Despite these difficulties, public art continues to thrive at Pomona. And the next time a visitor notices a campus artwork they hadn't seen before and asks the "why" question, Professor Hines has an answer: "Anything that makes us more aware of space and our own place in the environment is good."

—Jeannie Kenmotsu '04

Photos:

1. Cross Form (1964) by John Mason, glazed ceramic sculpture located in Lyon Garden (gift of the artist).

2. In the Spirit of Excellence (1989) by Norm Hines ’61, stainless steel and granite sculpture located in front of the Rains Center (gift of Ranney E. Draper ’60 and the Draper family in honor of Ranney C. Draper ’25).

3. First Principle (1982) by Norm Hines ’61, granite sculpture located in Richardson Garden (gift of Karl Benjamin).

4. Theodore Edwin Norton Memorial Fountain (original, 1923 by Burt Johnson) Bronze in Memorial Garden (original, gift of the class of 1915).

5. Prometheus (1930) by José Clemente Orozco, fresco in Frary Hall (Pomona College commission).