A professional sculptor unveiled a new piece in Walker Center for the Arts and Sciences.
Morgan Robinson, artist-in-residence for the School of Visual Arts, installed a work in the building’s lobby. The sculpture is made of glued plywood, smoothed into a sphere and mounted on powder-coated legs, said Heather Lunsford, director of the school of visual arts.
“He talks a lot about his work being transcribed from nature,” Lunsford said.
The staircase leading to the caf in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center houses another of Robinson’s sculptures, made out of red steel and powder coat. More of his works can be seen in the Law School campus in Bricktown and Wilson House.
Robinson’s website morgan-robinson.com displays his previous works, most of which are abstract shapes crafted from wood and metal.
Lunsford said Robinson is currently revamping the school’s sculpture lab by cleaning it and adding new equipment.
“We’re having him not only clean our labs but make them more efficient and get ready for the class that’s coming, so he’s bringing in tools that we’ve never had, like a metal chopper,” she said.
Lunsford said Robinson also provides a direct link to the professional art world.
“He talks about logistical things of being an artist, time planning. Having someone like that, we’re letting the students learn from his expertise,” she said. “Yes, he’ll be teaching technique, but he’s also here letting the students learn from professional experiences that he has in the field.”
In addition to his artwork and his work in the visual arts school, Robinson also offers a lecture series. The next session, “Committing to a Creative Life,” is from 5-8 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Norick Visual Arts Center and is open to the public.
The university should strive for harmony across all majors, letting different kinds of art and studies inspire others, Lunsford said.
“I think all of the art on campus needs to be connected. I think that visual art can inspire dance students. I think that dance can inspire theater students. I think that music students can inspire religion students, and I think the more cross-pollination we have between all students on campus is important,” she said.
Elizabeth Gwartney, biomedical science freshman, said she appreciated OCU’s involvement in visual arts.
“I like the fact that we’re supporting the artist. That’s important, so I’m all for it,” Gwartney said.
Even non-artist students can appreciate what visual art brings to the campus and life in general, said Jacob Harrell, youth ministry freshman.
“I am not an art major in any sense, but I do think it’s important because art is kind of one of the things that you define culture as,” Harrell said.
Harrell said on the other hand, the university could benefit from more practical repairs rather than art installations.
“I think our campus is very beautiful in the first place, but I like the fact that they’re taking steps to beautification,” Harrell said. “But, at the same time, if I want to be the devil’s advocate, there’s a hornet’s nest on one of the trees, and there’s trash somewhere, and there’s other things that could be getting done.”
Leave a Reply