By Hilary Robinson

The student stood for a long time looking at "Walking to the Sky." Eventually he went up to the artist, Jonathan Borofsky. "The figures lower down are striding more vigorously," he said, "and the ones higher up are taking smaller paces. Is that because, the more spiritual we become, the more humble we become?"


For me, this is an example of how great public art can have impact. It doesn't ask that you know art critics' jargon. Instead, it invites you to spend time looking, to deduce from what you see, and, most significantly, to bring your own experience and imagination to that moment of looking. There is no one right interpretation, but rather the possibility of engagement, disagreement, enrichment, or pleasure.

Public art has been the hot topic of the year at Carnegie Mellon. Positions of attack and defense have been taken up often with scant regard for facts or for the reality of the works under consideration. Those who attacked have sometimes allowed the open debate of a university environment to degenerate to rudeness. Some have muddied these debates by pretending to know about art and making fundamental mistakes, such as misattribution. Abuse has been heaped upon the generosity of the donors in a manner that speaks of other agendas. Those of us who support the principle of public art have sometimes been defensive. Sometimes we have retreated to art-specialist language, in a manner that speaks of elitism. Often there has been responsive anger.

But now "Walking to the Sky" is up, and people are simply reacting to its presence. Jonathan Borofsky exhibited enormous openness and generosity in speaking with passersby as the work was being installed. Some disliked the work; some were enthusiastic; mostly people wanted to explore what meanings they might gain from it. Not everyone will have the experience of the student I described, but most of us, I think, will be able to come to it without prejudice to ponder upon our own skies.

To express your thoughts on this topic, send email to: cm-today@andrew.cmu.edu


Related Link:
"Walking to the Sky" Comes to Campus