Western owns 28 outdoor sculptures ranking it among the top 10 outdoor sculpture collections in the nation for universities.
Western Art Gallery director Sara Clark-Langager said when people leave Western, the outdoor sculpture collection will carve a place in their memory as their dominant impression of the university.
Certain sculptures are more salient on campus due to their size or location. This article tours the most noticeable sculptures through the heart of campus.
The Man Who Used to Hunt Cougars for Bounty
The journey begins on north campus in front of Wilson library’s north entrance. A white granite sculpture lies amid a bed of rocks surrounded by Old Main’s large grassy lawns. The sculpture depicts a man cradling a cougar in his lap as both figures look toward the sky.
The sculpture, titled "The Man Who Used To Hunt Cougars for Bounty" by Richard Beyer, is based on a story about a man who used to hunt on Sehome Hill, which overlooks much of Western. The cougar and hunter were lifelong enemies until they reconciled, drinking whiskey with their heads thrown back, singing into the night.
The sculpture is also widely known by another name amongst Western students — "Man Humping Bear."
Upon first seeing the sculpture, Western senior Cam Klinginsmith said he thought it was a man having sex with a bear. Even his parents agreed when they first saw it.
Klinginsmith created a Facebook group in 2005 for people who share his opinion. More than 1,300 people have joined so far.
But the sculpture holds more meaning, such as concern for the displacement of animals due to urban development, Clark-Langager said.
"That’s why public art is so interesting everybody here on campus is going to have a different viewpoint as to what it means," Clark-Langager said.
For Handel
East of the statue lies a mammoth 27-foot-tall sculpture made of orange I-beams at the Performing Arts Center Plaza. The sculpture, "For Handel," titled by Mark di Suvero, was built on campus in 1975 as a gift from the Virginia Wright Fund.
"For Handel" is actually named after famous 18th century composer George Frederic Handel.
The sculpture stands as a tripod, holding one I-beam parallel to the ground. The shape of the sculpture reminds many of a mosquito.
Students often lay on the grass underneath the sculpture and children slide down part of what would be the mosquito’s back.
"[The statue] is sort of an explosion in the air of bright color," Clark-Langager said. She also described the statue as a crescendo of sound as it arcs above the plaza, which is fitting for its location next to the Performing Arts Center.
Sky Viewing Sculpture
Five of Western's most recognizable sculpture pieces: "Skyviewing Sculpture" in Red Square. Photo by Mark Malijan
On Red Square, a 14-foot-high black cube, stands atop three brick piers, which support each corner of the sculpture, creating an illusion of weightlessness. Each side of the sculpture has a large circle cut out of it.
The "Sky Viewing Sculpture" by Isamu Noguchi has been in Red Square since 1969 and has become an icon, Clark-Langager said.
"A lot of people consider it a symbol of the university in the sense that it’s in Red Square which was the first major square on campus," Clark-Langager said.
Associated Student President Erik Lowe said the sculpture is his personal favorite because it was the first one he noticed as a freshman. Lowe said he’ll often walk through it when commuting between classes.
The sculpture stands tall enough to allow people to pass through, but stopping inside the sculpture reveals views of the sky through the cut out holes.
"Usually I’m in a pretty big hurry walking around campus, so I never have a chance to look at the sky like I’d like to," Lowe said.
Log Ramps
Walking to the south end of campus, "Log Ramps" lies on a grassy knoll between the Ross Engineering and Technology building and chemistry building.
The sculpture, created by Lloyd Hamrol in 1974, is a popular place for students to sit, which is part of what it was designed for.
Clark-Langager said it’s also homage to timber, a great natural resource of the Northwest.
The sculpture has four ramps made of more than 30 logs each, which rise diagonally approximately eight and a half feet off the ground, forming a square shape when viewed from above.
Feats of Strength
A few strides away from "Log Ramps" is Tom Otterness’ "Feats of Strength" at Haskell Plaza. Grass mounds represent the San Juan Islands while small sculptured bronze green men and women are frozen in motion transporting rocks.
Western senior and graphic design major Emma James said "Feats of Strength" is one of her favorite sculptures on campus because she has a personal connection with it. She grew up in the San Juan Islands and said she can relate to the people in the sculpture.
"It has characters in it so it has more of a human element," James said. "All of the others are more of just objects."
The Plaza, like Red Square, is a popular area for students to lounge on the grassy San Juan Islands, which is one of the reasons why Otterness decided to put his sculpture there, Clark-Langager said. The contrast between work and play also inspired the figures, which can also represent Western students and faculty, she said.
Stadium Steps
The final stop on this outdoor sculpture tour concludes at a white 50-foot-long staircase zig-zagging up and down, called "Stadium Piece," by Bruce Nauman.
The sculpture had to be transplanted to make room for the construction of the Academic Instructional Center in 2007.
Before the move, Clark-Langager said it was a popular place to exercise as runners traversed up and down the staircase. She said she’s also seen people perform theater there and classes sit on the steps.
Lowe said he used to sit on the sculpture at night during his freshman year to relax or to talk on his cell phone when he had trouble finding service at the Fairhaven dormitories.
Twenty-two more sculptures are positioned all around campus, inside buildings, on hillsides and walls.
Western is also looking to add to its collection beginning this fall when they hold a juried national competition for the next sculpture, Clark-Langager said.
Clark-Langager said she did not have a date when a new sculpture could be expected on campus.
