Finished art piece debuts on 40th St.

Students returning from break will not only find a new piece of art at 40th and Locust streets -- they will also discover a new place to sit.

The work -- entitled "Plateau" and designed by New York-based artist Andrea Blum -- was completed over the holidays. While the landscaping surrounding the structure is not yet finished, the metal-framed sculpture is done after two and a half years of planning.

Blum said she was excited about the completion of the project and now leaves her artwork in the hands of students and city residents, as was her original intent.

"It becomes something that is more familiar; it is not just a rarefied piece of art," Blum said. "You give it over to those who are going to be using it every day."

Construction on the project began earlier this fall and was slated for completion on Dec. 20.

"Plateau" takes up about 5,000 square feet of space on the field west of the high rise dormitories. But Andrew Zitcer, who oversees art projects on campus for the Facilities and Real Estate Services, said that when the landscaping is finished, there will be 1,089 additional square feet of green space in the area.

Wharton senior Erica Garvey said that the new sculpture appeared to detract from campus green space.

College junior Ben Newton, however, does not believe that those who use the area will see a difference.

"It doesn't really impede on the field," Newton said.

Blum feels that the reaction to her work has been positive so far.

"People's response to me has been, 'Wow this is very cool,'" she said.

Philadelphia resident Roni Lagin was initially confused as to what the structure was, but believes that it adds to the landscape.

"I'm glad that there's no fence there," Lagin said. "It's nice to be able to see through that area."

Philadelphia resident Gregg Krantz said he was excited when he learned of the art project but was unimpressed by the final result.

"Now that the fence is down, it is sort of underwhelming and institutional. It doesn't thrill me," Krantz said. "It should be more welcoming and more visually interesting."

The project was built as part of Philadelphia's "Percent for Art" program, which requires 1 percent of the cost of construction on redeveloped land to be dedicated to public art. The structure was planned after the Inn at Penn was completed in 1999.

"I'm delighted with it, and I think it is a great contribution to campus," said Susan Davis, the director of public art programs for the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia. "It's exactly what we've been planing for two and a half years."

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