The iconic rabbit sculptures in the lake are not the only memorable outdoor pieces at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art anymore.
This fall, the museum has expanded its “Out of the Box” outdoor sculpture exhibition, as well as new exhibits inside the museum.
“Every two years we host a juried competition,” said Charlotte Hendrix, communications and marketing specialist for the museum. “We have submissions from all over the country. This year we’ve selected Jean Shin to look at all the different selections. [She] selected 12 sculptures and we have 8 now on the grounds that will be exhibited for one year.”
The new sculptures featured include portrayals of a fallen cell tower, an American flag covered with writings by a Birmingham based artist and a contemporary silver piece by Gregory Johnson.
Hendrix said the pieces have a few things in common.
“You can tell particularly by the pink ladder, I don’t know if it was intentional, but the pieces coordinate by the color,” Henrix said. “They’re all examples of sculpture which can be viewed differently. That’s one of the reasons why we wanted to have the “Out of the Box” sculpture event, because we present artwork a lot of times in the galleries and it’s usually two dimensional, but you know, it’s a very difference experience.”
Hendrix said she thinks people enjoy the museum more when the sculptures are on the grounds.
“I think they give our surroundings such color and life,” Hendrix said.
Moving indoors, the new exhibition titled “Height Width Depth: A Matter of Space” brings the basic art concept in front of the viewer’s very eyes with sculptures and paintings; taking your eyes through varying dimensions to interpret the works differently.
Many pieces in the museum are marked with the 125 Years of Auburn Women logo.
This is part of a movement the museum is making to highlight underrepresented female artists in museums not only locally but across the nation.
The museum is making a point to highlight artists from the state of Alabama in honor of the bicentennial.
Hendrix said all Auburn University students are highly encouraged to participate in the events at the museum, as well as visit the new art.
“I’m happy to hear when I speak with students that they love the museum,” Hendrix said. “They come to the museum to unwind and have a particular experience with the arts.”
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