PICTURE | Andrew Malczewski | www.andrewmalczewski.com
The local Artist in Residence, Andrew Malczewski, has big plans during his time at Tech. The sculptor will be adding a large-scale art piece near Browning Hall and Tomlinson.
The installation, which is slated to have a 9-foot by 9-foot base and be 12 feet tall, will be named “Murmuration.” It will be composed of steel and bronze.
“[‘Murmuration’] will be configured and designed in such a way so that as you walk around them, each of the little dots which will be bronze will move as you move. Your perspective on them will cause them to come together and spread apart,” Malczewski said.
Malczewski and his intern, Junior fine arts major Jesse Barraza, plan on finishing and installing the piece before the spring 2022 semester ends.
The sculpture was inspired by the murmuration of starlings, a common North American bird. The birds move throughout the sky with expert precision, creating unique and vast shapes. Malczewski compares the beauty of a conglomerate of birds to the fluid and thriving community that Tech is known for.
Malczewski landed on this idea after pondering Tech’s vision statement, which is “Arkansas Tech University: Where students succeed, innovations thrive and communities flourish.”
“An outdoor public work should always be a reflection of the community… it should really grow with the community and be representative of that,” he continued.
Malczewski took this idea of positive change and incorporated it into his work. “[the steel] will patina, so the steel will become a rusty red and get darker over time. The bronze will start out this bright brown color and then will get Robin’s egg blue over time. The sculpture itself will slowly change and deepen and enrich,” he beamed.
He compares this enrichment to that of the community, which he is certain will continue to grow and change as his grand steel and bronze sculpture will, standing the test of time.
