Alfred University to dedicate 'EarthCloud"
10/04/07
"EarthCloud," a soaring porcelain tile installation by Wayne Higby, professor of ceramic art at Alfred University, will be dedicated at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, in the Miller Performing Arts Center on the AU campus. An internationally recognized ceramic artist whose work evokes images of landscapes in porcelain, Higby said "EarthCloud" is his "first piece about Alfred. I wanted the piece to reflect what Alfred is, and what it has meant to me."I have been so
influenced by the idyllic landscape of this area," said Higby. But it is not the physical beauty of the Kanakadea (which means "Where the earth meets the sky in the Seneca Indian language) Valley that affected his work. "I have been inspired by the young people I have taught," explained Higby, who has taught ceramic art at Alfred University's School of Art & Design for more than 30 years. To create "EarthCloud," Higby and his assistant Lee Somers - who earned a BFA in 1999 and an MFA in 2006 from Alfred University - extruded, cut and fired 40,000 pounds of porcelain,
creating 4,955 tiles that cover an area 30 feet high by 56 feet wide. Most of the tiles are site-specific, made to fit in one place on a grid.The project took more than five years to complete, beginning with sketches created by Higby. Somers helped to build the equipment designed by Don Kaake of Angelica, who is an artist and craftsman who has worked with Higby in the past. "A huge amount of detail had to be worked out," said Somers. "The studio had to be outfitted and we did testing, testing and more testing" to determine composition of the clay body and the glaze.Then, he said, it was "slow, steady production," following the sketches and detailed charts Higby had made to capture his ideas. Tiles were made section by section, each piece numbered to indicate where it belonged. Some pieces were smooth and shiny; others rough-textured with a matte finish so they would reflect light differently.Once the tiles for each section were completed, they were assembled on the upper floor of Higby's studio in 20-foot sections, numbered, packed and set aside to make room for production of additional tiles. The piece was not seen in its entirety until it was laid out on the floor of the C.D. Smith Theater in the Miller Performing Arts Center in June 2006. "I had to keep the image of the finished piece in my head," said Higby. "There was not any point prior to laying it out in Miller that I could see the whole thing."He and his crew - Somers, Kaake and a group of young Alfred alumni artists hand-picked by Higby for their skill in working with ceramics - installed the piece during the summer of 2006. Other members of the
"EarthCloud" crew included Hongwei Li, who earned his MFA degree from Alfred in May; Rob Marzinsky, a 2004 BFA degree recipient; Ian McMahon, a 2004 BFA graduate; Peter Pincus, who earned his BFA in 2005; and Albion Stafford, a 1999 graduate with a BFA degree.For Higby, having his students and former students complete the work with him just enhanced the meaning of "EarthCloud." "Their hands are in the piece," he said. "I see their hands all over it; that folds into what my career has been about."Some art professors describe themselves as "artist-educators" or
"educator-artists," but Higby "refuses to accept the hyphen," which implies that one facet is more important than the other. That he has succeeded in eschewing the hyphen is apparent in the many and varied tributes to his work, both as an educator and as an artist. One measure of his success: Higby has received both the "distinguished educator" and
"master of the media" awards from The Smithsonian. Few others, if any, have been so honored.An exhibition, "The Making of EarthCloud," featuring Higby's original sketches, the specially designed equipment used to make the tiles, as well as still photos and videos of its making will open with a reception at 7 p.m Thursday, Oct. 18, at the Fosdick- Nelson Gallery in Harder Hall on the AU campus. Also featured will be earlier Higby works in which the genesis of
"EarthCloud" can be seen. The Fosdick-Nelson Gallery is open Mondays-Fridays from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 1-3 pm.The making of the piece is also chronicled in Wayne Higby - Earth Cloud, printed by Arnoldsche, a German art book publisher. (See http://www.arnoldsche.com...). The book, which is actually two attached volumes contained in a hard cover sleeve, contains more than 300 images. Dr. Marlin Miller, chairman emeritus of the Alfred University Board of Trustees, commissioned "EarthCloud" for the Miller Performing Arts Center. He has written the introduction to Wayne Higby - Earth Cloud. Also included are an artist's statement by Higby, and essays by two of his AU colleagues Dr. Mary Drach McInnes, professor of art history and Dr. Ezra Shales, assistant professor of art history; and Helen Drutt, Higby's gallerist. It also contains an interview with Bruce Wood of Kallman, McKenna and Wood, the architectural firm that designed the original arts center and that is now designing the theater addition. "EarthCloud" has already inspired original music that will be performed during the festivities marking the official dedication of the installation.The first piece, "From Earth to Cloud," was a matter of serendipity.
Adrian Gebruers, past president of the World Carillon Federation and carillonneur at St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland, was on campus to perform at the dedication of the new Davis Memorial Carillon bells in June 2006. As part of
his tour of campus, he visited the "black box" theater and there, spread upon the floor, were the porcelain tiles for
"EarthCloud.""I took him up on the catwalk in the theater so he could see what the piece would look like," Higby recalled. They climbed down, Gebruers' tour continued, and Higby didn't think anything more about it until "Six months later, I opened my e-mail, and there's a piece of music" inspired by "EarthCloud" and written by Gebruers for the carillon, Higby said. Gebruers has been invited to return to Alfred to perform "From Earth to Cloud" at the
conclusion of the dedication ceremony. Neil Jacobs, a 12-string guitarist and frequent guest artist on the Alfred University campus, has also written original music for the "EarthCloud" dedication. He and Dr. Lisa Lantz, associate professor of music and director of the Alfred University orchestra, will perform the pieces at a dinner for invited guests Friday evening.
