What Art Can Be - A Restful 'Front Porch' On Campus

Article regarding Kinji Akagawa's sculpture. This and other articles are available in the University Archives.

Citation for article:" What Art Can Be - A Restful 'Front Porch' on Campus," Pieces of Eight, September 1, 1986.

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An $8,000 site-specific sculpture has been constructed behind the Jenkins Fine Arts Center and represents a statement -- as well as a gift -- from the School of Art.

"We wanted to do something that would bring the School of Art and the campus more closely together," says Dean Edward Levine. The School of Art and the NC Arts Council funded the work which is a sturdy, three-piece wooden structure with the utilization of a traditional front porch in mind.

"I like it aesthetically and I like the way it kind of moves around the site," says Levine.

The sculptor, environmental artist Kinji Akagawa of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, says it willb e a good place for students to sit around, talk and have picnics. It can also be used by faculty for lecture space and for performances.

What Art Can Be

The design was inspired by Southern front porches. "When I was studying North Carolina dwellings, I noticed that the front porch was a very important part of architecture," Akagawa said. "I wanted the structure to have the same restful qualities." Ultimately, Levine says, the success of the piece will be how it is used.

Last fall, the School of Art commissioned the construction of entranceways through a row of hedges in front of Jenkins.

"The students were breaking the hedges down to get on campus because there was no access," Levine said. "That's what I mean by extending the notion of what art can be.

"Art is not just something in a gallery or a museum; it partakes of all the kinds of experiences we have and maybe helps solve some problems," he said.

Additional Work

Levine hopes to be able to commission more works in the future, although there are no definite plans. "It's a matter of getting grants and seeing if we can raise some money," he says. "It would be nice, given that we are one of the major art schools in the area, to make art more available to the whole campus and community.

"Students who come here will not only get an education, but will become familiar with what artists are doiing," he said.

Agakawa, who built the pine and fir sculpture in a wooded area behind Jenkins, said no trees were removed to make room for it. "I sensed from hearing everbody talk that trees are a very important part of this campus."