Many people walk across campus everyday without noticing the trees or their potential, but one student used them to help him pursue a master’s degree.
Bill Wolff, an arts and sculpture graduate student, showcased his Masters of Fine Arts thesis show, “elemental,” this week in the School of Art Gallery in Foster Hall.
The 29 wooden sculptures Wolff made range from three to 10 feet tall, but many are around human scale, Wolff said.
One thing that makes Wolff’s show unique is almost all of the wood he used to make his sculptures is collected from around campus, which gives the work some “local origin.”
Wolff produced all pieces for the show, which began Monday and culminates tonight with a reception, from last August until just a few weeks ago.
In the “Artist’s Statement” on his Web site, www.billwolff.net, Wolff said his work is primarily about human nature and his recent work has centered on themes of aggression and consumption.
The sculptures are made from wood, brick, rope and metal. Each material holds a specific meaning, which Wolff calls a “considered material vocabulary.” Wood is a living material which represents human flesh, brick is used as a metaphor for human history, rope refers to human activity and metal refers to control because it can be formed into any shape.
Wolff said each of the materials brings its “own history and set of connections.”
Some sculptures made of mostly brick help tie everything together, Wolff said.
“It has a calm, sedate, mysterious atmosphere,” he said.
On Thursday, Wolff defended his thesis to professors, marking the culmination of his work over the past three years.
“I am very pleased with the show,” Wolff said. “It is a nice environment and the sculptures function well individually or as a whole.”
Wolff said he likes to look at and make art that is open-ended and that people can look at and decide what it means for them.
“I want people to come away with personal meanings rather than just giving the riddle away,” Wolff said.
Malia Krolak, the coordinator for the School of Art Gallery, said she has always admired Wolff’s work.
“It is outstanding and beautiful,” Krolak said. “His work is meticulous, his concepts are good and his craftsmanship is impeccable.”
Wolff’s show ends tomorrow at a reception which he said is for people to just relax and enjoy themselves.
The reception is being held in 111 Foster Hall from 6 to 8 p.m.