This is art?
Sculptures strewn over UNL
aren’t understood, appreciated
Andrews Hall is reflected on the sculpture Prismatic Flake Geometric.
I am not an art critic.
I just thought I’d get that out of
the way, for the edification of
those denizens of Richards Hall
who might be disgusted with the
Neanderthal rantings of an
unenlightened art haler, a con
firmed loc of iheNEA. 'lhisbrings
me to the next question — what
is art?
Webster’s has more than a
dozen definitions, the most ap
ropos being "creative work or its
principles; making or doinglhings
that display form, beauly and
unusual perception; art includes
painting, sculpture, architecture,
music, literature, drama, the
dance, etc." Using that as a yard
stick, art is pretty much what you
make it.
Hall, which, again, serves no
visible purpose. Sheldon Art
Gallery has a large golden ring in
the lobby that looks suspiciously
like The Guardian of Forever
from “Star Trek." I keep hoping I
can jump through it and end up
somewhere ana someone else.
My purpose is not to deni
grate art-, no doubt the creators
were all sincere and intelligent
people. 1 just wonder why the
patrons of the u ni versily are will
ing to shell out $300,000 for
something that hardly anyone
understands and most everyone
ridicules — something that is
most obviously useful cither as
shelter from a driving rainstorm
or as a really good place to make
out on a late summer evening
when no one’s on campus.
Next question: What i$ the art
on campus supposed to be?
I watched in wonderment last
fall as workers stuck two curved
pieces of rusty iron into wet
cement between Burnell and
Andrews halls, then dubbed it
"Grccnpoint.” It’s not green and
I don’t sec the point.
I’ve also been told that the red
monstrosity Ixitwcen love Library
and Burnett Hall is capable of
displaying every letter in the al- ,
phabet to a viewer, depending
on the time of day. I had hoped
that everyone had learned the
alphabet by thetimethey reached
college, but apparently a refresher
course is in order now and then
for some.
And, of course, there’s the
shale surfboard between the
Nebraska Union and Andrews
I don’t hale art. My fiancee
regularly drags me to Sheldon
Art Gallery in an ongoing at
tempt to civilize me. I was moved
by tne Ansel Adams collection.
Iliearchilecturcdisplay currently
showing was also a pleasant di
version. Some of the more politi
cally oriented displays recently
shown were amusing, even if
totally confused in tneir mes
sage. I love Frederick Remington
and Charles Russell paintings of
the Old West, and can marvel at
architectural wonders with any
one.
Hut trying to decipher the
meaning in something that looks
like wet cowflop thrown at a jn
wire frame and then bronzed?
(It’s over in the art garden.) Call
me a doll, unimaginative, some
Michelle Paulman/DN
one who cannot only appreciate
cave drawings but ought to be
making them. But answer this
honestly: How many times have
you walked between Love and
Burnett, looked at ol’ Big Red
there, and said to yourself, “You
know, about a dozen scrap metal
{jirders of varying sizes, a acety
ene torch, a few hundred gal
lons of paint, a big backyard to
work in... hell, I could do it. And
I’d never worry about tuition or
books again. I’d be rich!"
You have. We all have. Admit
it.
One final word for those rich
alumni or friends of the univer
sity that keen buying us all these
wonderful abstract works forout
rageous sums of money: We ap
preciate what you ’re trying to do,
really. Students need some en
lightenment in their drab lives
between the drunken orgies and
the hours spent ruining our eye
sight on chemistry notes. It’s
uplifting; it’s what a university
ought to do.
Next time, though, buy some
thing a bit more classical, with
disccrniblehuman, animal orveg
etable form. Better yet, lake the
money you were going to spend
on that thing that looks like a
farm implement and do some
thing really useful with it. Fix up
Richards Hall, maybe? It would
earn you more gratitude than
any hunk of metal ever will. ’
Sam Kepfield i» a graduate Ntudcnt ip
history and not an art critic.
I SCARLET & CREAM
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Lied Center for Performing Arts
f $ 10.00 General Admission
$ 6.00 Students / Seniors
Contact Lied Box Office 472-4747
■ Sponsored by the Nebraska Alumni Association and the School of Music •
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