University City Public Art Series Features Student Work

Three undergraduate studio art students —Maddie Kish, Haley Levin, and Rachel Park — in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts will have sculptures on display as part of University City’s Public Art Series, the longest running public art partnership between a university and municipality in the U.S.

An opening reception, including artist talks, will be held at Flynn Park Elementary School on Sunday, April 7, at 1:00 p.m. Their work will remain on view in Flynn Park and Lewis Park in University City through late summer.

The students have worked closely with Arny Nadler, associate professor and sculpture area coordinator. Nadler also participated in the series when he was a student in the early days of the program. The series, established in 1986, offers students a chance to bring their work out of the academic environment and into the public realm. “The problem-solving skills that are learned, both conceptual and logistical, are valuable. And having a public commission already under your belt when you graduate college is a rare distinction,” Nadler said.

Rachel Park’s project, “Wishes for the Dream,” is inspired by the custom of wishing on a coin and tossing it into a pond. Weaving in the American Dream, generational storytelling, Korean heritage, and the immigrants of University City, Park’s sculpture features more than a dozen large-scale coins floating on the pond in Lewis Park. “They represent the countless dreams and desires made by the diverse community of University City,” Park said.

Maddy Kish and Haley Levin are working together on their piece, “Living Drawings.” They will lead a second grade class at Flynn Park Elementary School in an exercise about nature, observation, and drawing. Students created drawings of animals, then voted on three favorites from their class. From there, Kish and Levin built eight-foot-tall wooden sculptures, bringing the drawings to life. “We expect the sculptures to bring joy to Flynn Park and the surrounding University City area through both their humor and their sweetness,” the two shared.

Support for the University City Public Art Series is provided by the Municipal Commission on Arts and Letters of University City through the Marvin Levy Fund and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.