Newswise — The North Carolina School of the Arts " the first and only public arts conservatory of its kind in America " unveiled another "first" on April 5. The School is the first major arts institution in the United States to display a public sculpture on campus that will serve as the final resting place for cremated ashes.
Although common in Italy and other parts of Europe for centuries as a way for cities to acquire important works of art, no other educational institution in America has campus artwork which will be used, eventually, as a place of interment.
The two-piece sculpture, which was created by Richard Hunt and is called Conversations, was commissioned by one of America's most ardent arts patrons, R. Philip Hanes, Jr., and his wife, Charlotte. Upon their deaths, Hunt and the Haneses will have their ashes placed inside special boxes within the Conversations sculpture.
Hunt is an accomplished Chicago artist who has completed a vast number of large works of public art, including a work called Progress on another University of North Carolina system campus, North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.
"The larger element in Conversations is a sculptured landscape, and I call it an evocation of place and time," Hunt said. "The form of the base makes it possible for people to sit on the sculpture and move around " a form that suggests an evolving or eroding landscape. Out of that emerge some forms that fly upwards, suggesting a flight of birds and the idea of ascension. The sculpture's two pieces together are about place and the dynamics of change."
Hunt and Hanes are old friends, who, by any measure, are among the leading arts supporters in the United States. The two were members of a forward-thinking group of 26 people who served on the first National Council on the Arts 40 years ago, an advisory organization that served as a catalyst for the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Hanes also was a driving force behind the founding of the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. The school, like the National Endowment for the Arts, also is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
"Phil and I met in the 1960s when we were both on the National Council on the Arts, and our interest in the arts nurtured our friendship," Hunt said. "Traditionally, sculptors have been involved with funerary monuments of all kinds—it's in the nature of the sculpture business to commemorate and make places for the deceased and their remains."
"I'm delighted with the placement of Conversations on the campus of the North Carolina School of the Arts — I really appreciate having such a well-developed site for the work," Hunt added. "That's something that Phil, Charlotte, and I are very happy with."
It took several years for various levels of governments and agencies, including the North Carolina School of the Arts Board of Trustees, to amend regulations and approve the concept for the sculpture. The resulting policy allows for additional public sculptures, which must be approved by an Art Review Panel for aesthetic merit and technical quality, to be commissioned and placed elsewhere on the North Carolina School of the Arts campus.
"The Conversations sculpture is an excellent example of using the power of the arts to bring people together," said Gretchen M. Bataille, Interim Chancellor of the North Carolina School of the Arts. "Phil Hanes has done so much for our campus since our formative days in the mid-1960s, and he continues to bring fresh ideas and vitality to the School."
Hanes, who has advocated for the campus sculpture for several years, is pleased with the result. "Now, my wife, Charlotte, and I can all enjoy the beauty of Richard's sculpture while we're still alive," said Hanes, who recently turned 80, "And, in time, Richard, Charlotte and I will share it as our final resting place."
Both Hanes and Hunt are hopeful that others will see the unique opportunity this new effort provides " the chance to commission a sculpture by a major artist, to enjoy it during one's lifetime and have a final resting place among those who love and appreciate the arts. At the same time, the North Carolina School of the Arts has a way to acquire an extraordinary collection of public sculpture for the entire community to enjoy.
An arts conservatory of international renown, the North Carolina School of the Arts was the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, NCSA became part of the University of North Carolina in 1972. Students from middle school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. More than 1,000 students are enrolled annually; they must audition or interview for admission. For more information, visit the School's website at http://www.ncarts.edu.
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