As we walk down Speedway, art sculptures proudly gleam and shine. Near the engineering buildings and parked outside the Norman Hackerman building stands a sculpture of many boats in various directions. Balanced with inexplicable grace and delicacy, the aluminum canoes represent the many paths students take upon graduation.

“The boat (sculpture) is definitely interesting to me because it seems to be symbolic in a lot of ways,” said Arjun Bala-Mehta, a freshman electrical and computer engineering major. “When I was going through orientation, they pointed it out and said, ‘it’s sort of like supposed to symbolize the different pathways you can take in life after you graduate from college,’ and I thought that was pretty interesting.” 

Art is a powerful and evocative instrument for telling stories — especially on a college campus like UT. 

Scattered across the Forty Acres, many art installations stand tall and proud. Each installation carries infinite stories about the artist’s intentions and viewers’ interpretations — a vibrant addition to campus. 

Students should take a moment to observe campus art sculptures, learn about their various histories and urge the University to commission additional pieces.

There are dozens of art pieces and sculptures surrounding the campus. One, specifically, was designed by Mark di Suvero — who was intrigued by the intersection of architecture, science and poetry through art. Suvero’s work can be found outside the mechanical engineering building across from Dean Keeton. 

Grounded in abstract expressionism, as students walk past and wonder, some may express their emotions and curiosity through the various changing views, the crossed beams and the bright red that stands to transform the natural area outdoors. 

Art allows us to look beyond the materialistic and express emotion through expression and meaning. Additionally, sculptures can communicate impactful information, grow with students throughout their time here on campus, set standards for aesthetic beauty and make grand social statements. 

While these structures may hide within the hustle and bustle of everyday university functions, at a minimum, art sculptures and large towering works have significant aesthetic meaning. For instance, lying within the Martin Luther King Jr. structure remains decades of history, nuances of civil rights and a reminder of our conviction. 

“I enjoyed the structural pieces of art on our campus. They’re nice to look at,” chemical engineering freshman James Chan said.

Art has indefinite meaning — take a moment to reflect. Students, the next time you walk down Speedway or past campus buildings, take a moment to look. Take a moment to soak in the art that graces our campus.  

Wan is a civil engineering and Plan II freshman from Houston, Texas.