Friday, May 2, 2008
The Commons, a new initiative that blends the arts, sciences and humanities, recently completed construction in its new home on campus.
Housed in Spooner Hall, it is a collection of art exhibits, scientific workshops, lectures and performances that explore how human and natural systems overlap.
Fake trees made out of PVC pipes branch off support beams as part of Niche, an exhibition at Spooner Hall. The exhibition is a mixed media art installation by artists Marguerite Perret, Bruce Scherting and Betsy Knabe Roe.
It developed out of a partnership joining the Biodiversity Institute, the Hall Center for the Humanities and the Spencer Museum of Art.
Thomas Hardy, Salina senior and president of the Natural History Museum’s Student Advisory Board, said the Commons was like an ambassador to the cultural push for green living.
“It’s especially good for Kansas because a lot of people say New York and L.A. create all the culture,” Hardy said, “but in reality, Kansas has culture that they don’t and the Commons would be a good example.”
Jordan Yochim, acting director of The Commons, said it was a unique initiative at the University and he didn’t know of anything like it existing elsewhere in the country.
A primary focus of the Commons will be the exploration of different ways in which people and nature clash.
One ongoing feature for students has been free daily showings of the Discovery Channel’s “Planet Earth” series from 2 to 3 p.m.
Niche, a subversive art exhibit created by local artists, is another unique aspect of the Commons.
Michael Stolzle, Wichita graduate student and student worker for The Commons, said the art in Niche offered a new perspective on common environmental issues related to recycling, plastic bags and bottled water consumption.
One of the exhibit’s pieces depicts a water buffalo struggling to survive in a sea of blue and white plastic water bottles. Another features root systems made from plastic bags and junk mail hanging from the exhibit’s walls.
Yochim said he hoped students would take advantage of the space as it developed further.
“Eventually we’d like to be able to offer it as a drop-in place where people could come between classes, plug in a laptop and do a little work,” Yochim said.
Though The Commons is still in the early stages, Hardy said upcoming additions, such as a soundtrack of natural and city sounds, would continue to improve the space over time.
“A lot is in the works right now,” Hardy said. “The really good stuff is to come.”
The Commons is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Tuesday and Saturday every week.
—Edited by Samuel Lamb
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