Assignment

There are many examples of public sculpture in Santa Barbara. Some of the most prominent and easily accessible are the sculpture/fountain Mentors (Aris Demetrios) on the SBCC West Campus, Three Triangles (Fletcher Benton) SBCC East Campus, on the ocean side of the bookstore, Intermezzo (Anthony Caro) at the side of La Arcada (between the rear entrance to the Santa Barbara Art Museum and the public library), and Up Ended (Clement Meadmore) on the UCSB campus, on the lawn east of North Hall. For this assignment you are to study first-hand one of these sculptures. Look at it carefully and analyze what you see and what you think about the work. Write a 400 to 600 word paper that discusses the piece as public sculpture. Start with a description of the sculpture and it's context (setting); discuss whether it does or doesn't work with the surroundings; finish with your assessment of the sculpture's cultural and aesthetic value.

This is an assignment based on your own observation, not on Internet research; do not write about the history of the sculpture, do not include what other people have said, write only about what you see and what you think. You do not need to send an image if your subject is one of the sculptures listed above. If you don't live in the Santa Barbara area then there is likely to be public sculpture where you live. Write about that, but I would appreciate a photograph or sketch of the piece submitted electronically by email if you can't get it into the Submission tool.

To help you write this, use what you've learned so far and ask questions of the piece. What is the theme (decipher the iconography)? What is the form and content? Is it representational, abstract, or non-objective? Go through chapters 1-2 and find other terms and ideas that will help you come to an opinion about the piece as public sculpture.