15th Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition (2001-2002)

For nine years I have had the privilege of working with the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition. It is hard to believe, but that means during my tenure here I have seen 90 public sculptures go up as part of this exciting program. To date there have been 150 exhibited, and the permanent collection is growing to complement this annual exhibition. Thousands of people have participated in guided tours and lectures, and many more have experienced the artworks as they go about their everyday lives.

As I think about my years with the Rosen program, the first thing that comes to mind is the way this program has brought art into the lives of the community. I remember the people who were moved by a particular work. I remember the people who were intrigued by the mechanical ingenuity exhibited by a particular work. I remember the people who struggled to meet the challenge of new or thematically tough work. I remember the winter when Rosen Award Winner R.F. Buckley's forged aluminum bed mysteriously became inhabited by a dapper set of snow people. I remember the smiles of pedestrians as they watched a vacant area filled with a new sculpture. I remember the crowd forming when Charles, "the crane guy," took a sculpture up a little higher than required for dramatic effect. These memories, and the hundreds more, combine to reinforce my understanding of how this program has made a difference in the artistic life of the campus and community.

The opportunity to see new works, investigate their meaning and design, and the ability to re-experience them over the period of a year is an important aspect of this program. Unlike many exhibited works, these pieces become part of our lives for a year. This is the power and vitality of public art. However, this power comes at a price.

Public art ... or for our purposes, outdoor sculpture ... is often a risky proposition. Art displayed in a gallery is usually viewed by people whose express purpose is to look at art. While the viewer might not connect with certain works, they are in the frame of mind to see what art is displayed. Outdoor works occupy the same "real" time and space as we do everyday. The artist or gallery - outside of providing catalogues, signs, and tours - for the most part does not have the opportunity to place works within a context or to even ensure that viewers are prepared to view art. This is the first risk ... that certain members of the public won't adjust their everyday mindset to properly consider the works.

The next risk is the flip side of a positive aspect. When art works are placed in the public realm the public often feels ownership of the works. Positively, this means that the works will be more accessible - not only physically but conceptually. Negatively, this means that the possibility exists for viewers to overstep their bounds. This happens when the public fails to acknowledge that art works are created by an artist, and, in addition to it's designed communicative worth, they are their worthwhile property. These works are the fruits of the artist's lives, and sharing them in such a public way is a very daring act.

Finally, placing works in the public domain can open artists and galleries up to severe scrutiny. Each have to be aware of this possibility and be prepared to deal with the situation in a way that respects the public concern and the integrity of their work. If handled correctly, this dialogue can make the program more meaningful for everyone concerned.

In closing, I offer my sincere admiration to the artists, this university, and Martin and Doris Rosen for meeting the challenges of public art. It must also be noted, that a huge amount of admiration must be bestowed upon the public for their participation in the exhibition of these 150 outdoor works. The rare instances when members of the public failed to live up to the challenge before them are far outweighed by their positive participation in this program.