Sculptures hold key to Penn's history

Students walk by them, through them, under them and around them every day without even noticing they're there. But people who ignore the sculptures around campus are missing out on much more than any artistic value the works might have. Each one, according to Art History Professor Emeritus Malcolm Campbell, represents a slice of Penn's history. For Campbell, who joined the University faculty in 1961, the peace symbol sculpture on College Green has the most powerful meaning. The stainless steel piece was designed by David Lindquist in 1967 in response to a student sit-in protesting the Vietnam War, according to Campbell, who was then assistant dean of humanities for the School of Arts and Sciences and remembers sleeping in the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life the night students gathered in College Hall. "I woke up in the morning and called the police officer in charge of civil disobedience to tell him that the sit-in had broken up and that everything was okay," Campbell said. Although the protest ended without incident, Campbell said the sculpture always reminds him of how close the students came to an encounter with the police. For many current students, however, the peace sign recalls images of local activist Kathy Change's suicide last October. Change lit herself on fire in front of the sculpture in an attempt to draw attention to her political views. "Whenever I look at it, I'm reminded of how that woman used to be on the College Green every day standing up for what she believed in," Wharton junior Rob Jacobs said. Not all the sculptures on campus evoke such heavy-hearted memories. Rather, many try to add levity to the University's traditionally austere atmosphere. Alexander Calder jokingly called his red steel sculpture in front of Myerson Hall "Jerusalem Stabile" to contrast with his famous revolving "mobiles," Art History Professor David Brownlee said. Claus Oldenberg, who designed the "Split Button" in front of Van Pelt Library in 1981, also created his work with a wry smile. "He was such a character," Campbell said. "He wanted you to rethink how useful small things like buttons are." Oldenberg would perhaps be amused by the reputation his sculpture has attained on campus. "It's not like classical art but more like a toy -- like those Monopoly pieces -- and that's probably why kids use it like a slide or jungle-jim to play on, Engineering freshman Anthony Cowley said. "And then I've also heard of it being this place to bring a date late at night," he added with a laugh. Other sculptures on campus intentionally play into University traditions. Following graduation ceremonies, many students make a point of walking under the large red arches looming over Superblock, Campbell said. "You get a nice feeling walking underneath it then," he said. "You kind of feel like you're on your way at that point." Famous minimalist Alexander Lieberman designed the sculpture in 1974, calling it "Covenant." The two parts that rise up and meet at the top depict the energy of joining things, Brownlee said. They are meant to remind students of the promises they make to themselves while at school. But many students, perhaps seeing another meaning in the sculpture, have taken to calling it "The Dueling Tampons." Another sculpture that identifies with college students is the young Benjamin Franklin outside Weightman Hall titled, "Youthful Franklin" and created by R. Tait McKenzie in 1904. "You almost never see Franklin done as a young man just arriving in Philadelphia," Brownlee said. "But it's meant to be something special for college students who are also just arriving here for the first time to start their lives." Fine Arts Professor Hitoshi Nakazato, a member of the committee that approves campus sculptures, said there aren't any plans for new artwork in the near future. But Art History Professor Michael Meister said he believes Penn's campus could always use more sculptures. "They inspire people," he said. "They give us something to remember the place by, whether it be just a photograph of your mom with her arm around the Ben Franklin sitting on the bench or kids sliding down the button."