Campus Art - Archipenko's sculptures endure

Like twin giants, they stand in silence on either side of the sidewalk.

They have been there every day, in all types of weather for years. Their shapes rise into the sky, while clean lines and curves bring out different shadows in the painted gray steel.

These are the sculptures of artist Alexander Archipenko. They stand on either side of the University Walkway at Holmes and 51st streets and they have an intriguing history.

One of the two plaques attached to the bases of the sculptures reads:

"Constructed in 1950, Archipenko's untitled, painted iron 'ornaments,' as he called them, are the first abstract sculptures to be installed in Kansas City. Born in Kiev in 1887, Archipenko was already one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century when he came to the UMKC Art Department as an artist-in-residence in 1950."

Tonya Crawford, Senior Archives Specialist at the UMKC Archives, said Archipenko was fairly famous by the time he became artist-in-residence at UMKC, then known as the University of Kansas City. She said as part of his residency he would have taught at the art department, where students would have felt privileged to study with him.

The second plaque on the sculptures reads:

"Archipenko's great contribution was to create the 'modeling of space.' He did away with the traditional monolithic concept of sculpture by introducing voids as positive forms in his sculpture, joined with the dynamic interplay of concave and convex shapes. His work proved liberating for many artists, and his use of negative space influenced later artists such as Henry Moore."

The sculptures used to be located at the old entrance to the university - the area that is now between Flarsheim and Haag halls, near Rockhill Road. The sculptures originally had lights in the bases. They would shine up from the bottom, illuminating them at night, but have since been unused, according to Crawford.

The sculptures were moved in the late 1990s to their current location on the University Walkway. They were placed on stone bases created by Joyce Swallow, chair of the UMKC School of Architecture.

The sculptures are now surrounded by flowerbeds and in prime view of students walking to the Swinney Recreation Center, the Fine Arts building, the University Center, or the Miller Nichols Library. There are several nearby benches where students can enjoy the sculptures in good weather.

UMKC has changed dramatically since Archipenko created his sculptures in the 1950s. New buildings have gone up, other artists have left their marks on campus, the name of the university has changed and countless students have come and gone.

Yet these two silent sculptures remain, ready to be enjoyed by those who take the time to stop and look.

kkalinowski@unews.com