3-D Design Installment Proves Difficult to Ignore

The art installment created by EMU’s 3-D design class is located outside the main entrance of the Hartzler Library and represents a skeletal shadow of a tree. (Photo: Michael Spory)

Only students sequestered in their dorms would not know that there has been a recent artistic addition to EMU’s campus in a very visible way, an installation placed by the 3-D Design class, taught by Kreg Owens. The class is focused on concepts of designing art in three dimensions, and this particular project involved plaster molds and clay castings. Each of the 11 students in the class made 100 small clay castings of objects they chose, and once the castings were fired in the kiln the class collaboratively installed their clay objects on a spot they chose on campus.

The class chose a tree directly in front of the main entrance to the Hartzler Library, and began to construct their installation. After a critique from Owens, the class rearranged the sculpture to take the form of a tree. The trunk of the class’s tree sculpture mimicked the 10 a.m. shadow of the tree that the installation was built around. After the trunk, however, the class free formed the branches of the tree with their clay objects. In addition to the tree shape formed by the castings, the class also hung several objects from actual tree branches. These objects were in the shape of pistols and grenades, which brought special meaning to the class’ installation.

Erica Yoder, a senior art student, explained the group’s interpretation of the sculpture. “As humans, it’s our nature to be immersed in the world, and in that, there’s positive things of course, but there’s negative things that we fill our lives with, such as violence, and just words, and that is [represented] by the weapons in the tree, the guns and grenades. And through that we live our lives, but eventually all of the weapons and all the negativity will catch up to us and lead us to death. The [installation] looks skeleton like.”

Yoder and sophomore art student Stuart Landis both expressed their enjoyment of the project, despite its difficulties. “It was definitely something that I enjoyed and the most challenging part was definitely having to work with that many people, like having the whole collective group agree to something was not easy,” said Landis. Both students also expressed interest in continuing to work with installations of art. “I don’t know if its something that I have really thought about doing, but Its another medium that I have to get used to, so at some point I want to try and do more with it just so I have more under my belt than just painting,” said Landis, and Yoder similarly said she would continue with installation in her work with paper-making. “The reason I like installation is because your not just walking along a wall and looking at [art] which that’s gorgeous too, but [with installations] you actually in it, which as an artist and an everyday person is really cool,” said Yoder.