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Alastair Noble, assistant professor of art, believes in the importance of students having the opportunity to exhibit their works in public settings.
This semester, many of Noble’s art students are working on projects connecting Lafayette with the Easton community.
For civil engineering major Corey Cattano ’09 (New Providence, N.J.), his soon-to-be-installed sculpture in the Cancer Awareness Garden in Easton is the culmination of an independent study project with Noble. There will be a reception with Cattano 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 9 at the Cancer Awareness Garden at Riverside Park on Larry Holmes Drive.
Also, students in Noble’s intermediate sculpture class will have their collaborative sculpture displayed on the lawn in front of the Boys and Girls Club of Easton’s new teen center. There will be a reception with the class 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 10 at the teen center, 1101 Northampton St.
Cattano’s sculpture is made of a 10-foot-long log. He sliced the side off and then cut out two hollows for seating. The bench will be installed in the garden surrounded by views of the Delaware River.
“I am honored to have my project displayed in the Cancer Awareness Garden, and I thank Professor Noble for giving me this opportunity,” says Cattano. “I believe that Lafayette students are very involved with the Easton community and I know that the group of students, including myself, who are working on the sculpture project for the Cancer Awareness Garden are very happy to do so. Giving back to the community is a very rewarding experience that adds to our college achievements.”
Noble has worked with the Women in Business Council, the organization that maintains the garden, and the Cancer Awareness Garden before, as many of his students have had their work installed on the grounds.
“The garden has been completely washed out by recent flooding and some of the other projects have been washed away,” says Noble. “The Women in Business contacted me and were hoping to regenerate the garden – both with more student work and by replanting it. They figured this spring would be the perfect time for a new beginning.”
“Corey had experience in wood working before and was very thorough and hardworking. He has a clear vision of what he wants to do and handles the tools and materials very well,” he adds.
Students involved with the Teen Center project include art majors Peter Huntley ’08 (Westport, Conn.), Jeff Bittenbender ’07 (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), and Marissa Halderman ’09 (Rushland, Pa); biology majors Rhae Anna Riegel ’07 (Robbinsville, N.J.) and Robert Peoples ’08 (Bear, Del.); and English major Carolyn Freundlich ’08 (Westfield, N.J.).
“The teen center project came about partly through Maurice Luker, director of foundation and corporate relations,” says Noble. “He brought my attention to the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership, which is overseeing the beautification of Easton. Gary Bertsch, program manager of the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership, thought that there might be an opportunity for students to develop public projects. I then attended several West Ward meetings and brought up the idea of my students developing projects for various locations in the city. The first one we agreed upon was the teen center.”
Initially each student designed his or her own project and presented it to a committee comprised of Dean Young, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, Bertsch, and representatives of the building. The committee then chose one project, to which all the students have contributed.
The committee chose Huntley’s proposal of an open, red hand because it related to the teen center’s hand logo. Two students are also making a log bench to accompany Huntley’s design.
“The students were excited about producing art in the public sector and for a good cause like the teen center. This enables them to engage with the community and be involved with a public art project that resembles that of a professional artist,” says Noble. “This was a great opportunity for them to get a feel for what it takes to produce a public sculpture on a large scale. While it usually takes most artists years to develop a piece in a public setting, the students were very lucky to be able to do it in a couple of months.”
Halderman’s proposal, a fluid transparent structure representing the twin rivers of Easton – the Delaware and the Lehigh – is being considered for reproduction on a larger scale for next year.
“This is a pilot project for an ongoing program with my sculpture classes,” says Noble. “There are many more locations around the City of Easton that have been identified as places where students can install projects.”