This piece of art did not appeal to us because we were not able to find the meaning that the artist intended to convey nor participate in any dialogue with the work. The artwork appeared to us as an amalgamation of shapes, which didn’t symbolize anything-it merely inspired confusion.  The limited meaning which we were able to derive from this work emerged out of our befuddlement. The sculpture appeared differently from every angle, morphing as you walked around it. We connected this variance in the work to the idea that everything can be viewed from a variety of perspectives.

This piece does not represent our campus. Our campus is uniformed and organized, and this order creates a serenity which students experience. Rather the sculpture felt random and erratic, which made us feel confused and even anxious at our lack of understanding. This made the artwork feel completely out of place.

We think the sculpture is here because the college believes in the efficacy of abstract art. Abstract art is meant to foster critical thinking because the meaning of the work is not clear on the surface. A college education requires nuanced thinking and demands that students gain access to new frameworks for processing information. Abstract art requires out-of-the box thinking to acquire meaning, which resembles our college learning process.

This artwork was commissioned by Ralph Martel, who attended CSI. It is possible that one of the reasons that CSI placed the sculpture there is to show students that they too are capable of being recognized for their accomplishments just as Ralph Martel was.

Jackson Mushnick, Gabriella Cota, Sasha Smolansky, Wilson Wu

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