Morris Museum of Art

Museum News

Installation Art
Augusta State University
Fall 2005

Written by Brian Rust, Professor of Art
Augusta State University

My favorite course to teach at Augusta State University (ASU) is Installation Art (Art 4331). The students of this upper division sculpture class work with traditional and nontraditional art materials to construct temporary artworks for the grounds of ASU. The campus is transformed into the classroom, and students must deal with the effects of environment and audience on the sculpture making process. This course introduces students to a host of creative opportunities as they work in the landscape. It also makes them confront the structural and aesthetic realities which artists have faced throughout history in creating art for a particular place within a constellation of limiting parameters. I assist students in their interactions with ASU's Physical Plant, Public Safety, and any other applicable agencies to obtain approval for and completion of their projects. Students are stimulated by the opportunity to work in the expanded realm of public art. It is very satisfying to me as a teacher when I see these installation art students inspired by this genre and afforded a deeper awareness of their built and natural surroundings.

In the summer of 2003, Kevin Grogan of the Morris Museum mentioned that the museum owned property near the university in Forest Hills and that he was interested in somehow using it for artistic and educational purposes. As soon as we visited the site, I knew this would be the perfect location for my installation class to work. In the fall, I bring my class to the site and give them the challenge to create a temporary nature-based artwork. The assignment for the students is to choose a particular site on the land and create an artwork based on their reaction and impressions to it. They have about one month to design and complete the project. I encourage them to use mainly materials from the property and to design it so that it fit the landscape. Some students choose to work around one or more of the beautiful magnolia trees on the property, while others use the grassy open spaces as their arena. Each of the works is unique and uses a different theme or metaphor. In the end, the unifying elements to these 13 student projects is that they all were inspired by the sense of beauty and wonder inherent in this park-like setting.

Follow the progress of the class: