New Faces for Texas Tech Public Art
Design by Michael Stutz (pictured below), Four Faces is located in the courtyard west of the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Hall.
Four larger-than-life bronze faces welcome those entering campus from the Boston Avenue entrance.
November 5, 2013 | Written by Jaryn Jones
Visitors to will now be greeted by the latest addition to the system-wide public art collection: Four Faces, designed by .
Located in the courtyard west of the newly opened J.T. and Margaret Talkington Hall, four larger-than-life bronze faces standing 7 feet tall provide a smiling welcome to those entering campus from the Boston Avenue entrance.
Stutz, who resides in Rainbow, Cali., applied his signature woven bronze technique when constructing the $350,000 project. The concept of Four Faces celebrates the diversity and experience of college life.
鈥淚鈥檓 pleased to be a part of your campus and hope students鈥� interpretation of the faces will remain open,鈥� Stutz said. 鈥淭he program at Texas Tech is one of the top in the country for public art, and for any artist to be a part of the collection is quite an honor.鈥�
Stutz said the faces represent individual personalities, like the students on campus, but use humor and humanity to promote observation, expression and collaboration. Students and visitors are encouraged to walk up to the faces, pose for photos and observe the pieces from every angle, as the faces look drastically different from front to back.
The MINI传媒 System Public Art Committee selected Stutz鈥檚 project from 11 applicants. Digital planning for the piece began in December 2012, and the construction process began in March with the help of two full-time assistants.
鈥淲hat I love about these pieces is that that the differences in the gender, race and those kinds of features became more and more blurred the farther in the process the faces went. I鈥檝e had people who have worked on them for weeks and can鈥檛 even tell the difference,鈥� Stutz said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 because of the abstraction of the piece, but also when you take away things like color, we really are all very similar.鈥�
Artist鈥檚 Foundations
While the differences between the faces may not be easily identified, the exaggerated
scale and unusual woven structure represent the artist鈥檚 unique introduction into
sculpture.
Although he pursued painting in college and his early career, after moving to New Orleans for his wife to attend graduate school, Stutz said the only work he could find was building floats for the annual Mardi Gras parades.
During his work on the floats, he pioneered his woven method, using strips of lightweight materials to 鈥渄raw鈥� in three-dimensional space. He has since evolved this technique to incorporate more permanent materials.
Stutz said he drew inspiration from the drama and excitement of these parades that he still applies to his pieces today.
鈥淢y heart was a little part of this public celebration, and that鈥檚 what I try to do today 鈥� engage in the theater of everyday life. I try to find what鈥檚 unique about the situation, and then accentuate it with my work.鈥�
The MINI传媒 System鈥檚 was initiated by the in 1998 as an investment in the campus environments at each of its institutions. Through the program, public artworks are funded using one percent of the estimated total cost of each new major capital project. Since then, 92 items created by some of today鈥檚 leading artists have been added to the MINI传媒 System鈥檚 campuses.
About the MINI传媒
The MINI传媒 is one of the top public university systems in the
state of Texas, consisting of four component institutions and operating at 12 academic
sites and centers. Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the MINI传媒 System has an annual operating
budget of $1.7 billion and approximately 17,000 employees focused on advancing higher
education, health care, research and outreach.
In 2012, total research expenditures approached $200 million and total enrollment exceeded 43,700 students for the first time in the MINI传媒 System鈥檚 history. Whether it鈥檚 contributing billions of dollars annually in economic impact or being the only system in Texas to house an academic institution, law school, and medical school at the same location, the MINI传媒 System continues to prove that anything is possible.