Sculpture class brings abstract art downtown

It was a beautiful morning in early June when a twisted sculpture was set on its pedestal outside the Plains Art Museum, where it now sits until 2024.

MSUM's Advanced Sculpture class created the sculpture during the spring semester. Students experienced the process of creating public artwork from start to finish. They submitted designs for the public to vote on and worked directly with the materials. They followed the theme of abstraction when choosing their design.

“The quality of this year’s project is exceptional. It represents the seriousness and professionalism of our art students,” Chris Walla said.

The sculpture is displayed prominently outside the Plains Art Museum, where MSUM continues to have a strong showing among the colleges in the Fargo-Moorhead area. The impact students feel seeing artwork they collaborated on exhibited publicly is long-lasting.

“Public art plays an important role in contributing to our community’s identity,” Walla said. “MSUM continues to produce students who contribute to placemaking and aesthetics in the Fargo-Moorhead area.”

The sculpture is a new addition to the Plains Art Museum S.P.A.C.E (Sculpture Pad Art Collaborative Experiment), a collaboration among the Plains Art Museum, Concordia, NDSU and MSUM to produce public art.

The Advanced Sculpture class at MSUM is a course offered for Studio Art majors. These students can choose ceramics, drawing & illustration, painting and sculpture as emphases. Students who choose sculpture are exposed to a broad range of materials, including nontraditional approaches to making sculpture, such as wood fabrication, bronze casting and mold making.

While working on this project, students had to ensure their sculpture could withstand two years outdoors in Fargo-Moorhead's sometimes brutal weather.

Their hard work paid off and is proudly on display for all patrons of the Plains Art Museum as well as casual sidewalk observers to enjoy.

Participating artists include Professor Chris Walla and students Rob Rachow, Kathy Freese, Megan Loegering, Rebecca Martens, Emilee Muehler, Ashley Peterson, Katie Rikhus, Hope Stromsodt and Amanda Suchy.