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An independent-study course in digital imaging and a student's love of art have resulted in the latest addition to the UMass Boston webserver, www.artsonthepoint. com. The site features information about sculptures displayed on the UMass Boston campus and the artists who created them. Fellow students Theresa Hadley, now projects coordinator for Arts on the Point, and Suthir Shanmugasundaram combined their efforts to develop the site, beginning in fall 1998 and culminating with the site's arrival on the web this month. Hadley, who conceived the website, feels that UMass Boston's sculpture park should be better publicized, and that this is one method of doing so.
Perhaps the most interesting and evolving portion of the website is its "vision" section, which features plans for new artists and installations. The assembly of two more sculptures--Dennis Oppenheim's Searchburst and Tony Smith's Stinger will--begin soon. Searchburst, described as resembling "a lit UFO," will be hung among the columns supporting Healey Library following the application of new brickwork. Stinger, a sleek, compact steel work, will be installed on the water's edge near Wheatley Hall.
A third and especially prominent work to be assembled this spring is Sol LeWitt's 100 Columns, featuring 8,200 concrete blocks varying in height from four to 30 feet and arranged in a curving row extending some 150 feet. This sculpture, which one might describe as a compilation of skinny skyscrapers, will be displayed in the median strip of UMass Boston's entrance drive. Other future installations will include works by Maya Lin and Richard Serra.
The installations will be celebrated this September with a "grand opening week" for Arts on the Point, when many of the artists will be present for recognition. Hadley hopes the event will "introduce the sculpture park to the community," through an open house, tours, and educational forums presented by "people who deal with issues in art." Look for more details this summer.