For generations, App State has fostered a campus culture that supports the arts, as evidenced An Appalachian summer festivalwhich celebrated its 38th season this summer, The Turchin Center for the Visual Artswhich will celebrate its 20th anniversary in May, the recent completion of the second phase of the university project arts corridorwhich brings together the two sides of the Boone campus of App State, the academic departments of art, theater and dancethe Hayes School of Music and the many other offers in arts and humanities to App State, and the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibitionwhich this year brought outdoor sculpture to our campus for the 36th year.
Recently, we heard accounts of dismay from members of our college community regarding the damage done to one of the sculptures in the Rosen exhibit during an impromptu victory celebration for the App State football team. on Texas A&M on September 10. Titled “Lost and Found,” the damaged sculpture was created by artist Kevin Curry and has come to be known as the “floating baby,” given its installation in the Duck Pond, a well-known campus landmark.
Additionally, the App State Police Department investigated reports of overturned trash cans and mop buckets at Wey Hall over the Sept. 3 weekend. Although the inquest determined that no artwork was damaged as a result of this incident, students and faculty have expressed concerns about public access to this building, and a plan to more secure access to the building is being developed.
It is important to share that police have determined that these incidents were unrelated and not motivated by the intentional targeting of the arts on the App State campus. That said, the damage to the sculpture was deeply discouraging, especially given our university’s long-standing tradition and reputation for supporting public art. Although the university’s insurance policy indemnifies the artist, we recognize that we are a community that values the power of public art and seeks a way to demonstrate this after the nationally documented destruction of a public work of art on our campus.
As a higher education institution, it is appropriate that we foster opportunities to raise awareness and inspire empathy for artists, and a better understanding of the meaning behind the work they create. It is also appropriate that as an academic community with a long tradition of celebrating the arts, we seize opportunities to do so on a large scale, across departments, units and divisions.
In light of this, the Office of Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources, College of Fine and Applied Arts, App State Police, and App State Athletics will co-host programs in the coming weeks designed to promote awareness and a deeper understanding of the critical importance of art in the life of our campus and community. These will range from conversations and small group discussions to large-scale celebrations of the arts across campus.
If you would like to participate in the programming of these events, do not hesitate to contact us at turchincenter@appstate.edu.
Denise Ringler, Director of Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources
Dr. Shannon Campbell, Dean, College of Fine and Applied Arts
Andy Stephenson, Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police
Doug Gillin, Athletic Director
