A LOOK BACK AT HOMECOMING - PAGES 4 & 5
Central Methodist University • Fayette, Mo.
Vol. 141 • No. 7
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‘Synergy’unveiled! CMU’s recent Homecoming was more than the normal parade, lunch and football game. It also marked the unveiling of the first sculpture outside of the AshbyHodge Gallery of American Art in Classic Hall. The bronze piece named “Synergy” was given by the Ashby-Hodge board in gratitude for the longevity and depth of support of the gallery by its founders — the Tom Ashby family; the Anna Mae Hodge family; and by former curators Thomas Yancey and Joe Geist. The sculpture is the work of Columbia artist Larry Young, whose art is internationally acclaimed. He has placed more than 50 monumental outdoor sculptures during a 25-year career, usually created in bronze, steel or marble. He learned his craft as a molder in the U.S. Navy, after which he pursued art at Columbia College, followed by a two-year fellowship to study sculpture in Italy. He is especially known for his innovative use of negative space. Young likes to focus on the or-
igin of mankind, man’s relationship with other life, and his destination. His sculptures tend to be very fluid, changing depending on the view the observer chooses. In his notes about “Synergy,” Young invited people to “move slowly around it, watching as the dynamic forms open and close to create visual energy. Creating movement in an inanimate, threedimensional object is one of my primary objectives.” “Symbolically,” he writes, “the rising serpentine volumes portray two mutually supporting strands or organisms that rise up to achieve a visual effect not possible alone. . . For me it is an excellent fit with the nature of a great liberal arts education—the pieces come together to create a result that is not possible alone.” In opening remarks, CMU President Roger Drake noted that the location of the sculpture at the south edge of the campus reflects the joining of town and university in a symbiotic relationship, leading the two entities to be more together than either can be apart.
November 6, 2013
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www.centralmethodist.edu
CMU crowns Branson & King Todd King was crowned king and Amanda Branson was named queen of the Central Methodist University 2013 Homecoming on Oct. 26. King is a communication studies major from Springfield, while Branson is an environmental science major from Koeltztown. Not pictured are juniors Taylor West and Amber Sartain, who reigned as Homecoming Prince and Princess, with coronation activities taking place during halftime of the Homecoming football game at CMU. Kyle Rose and Taylor Zey were chosen by their classmates as sophomore class representatives, while Sean Wallace and Melody Hanson were this year’s freshman class representatives. All were selected by the votes of CMU students. More photos of Homecoming events are on Pages 4 and 5. Synergy artist Larry Young (in red jacket) and Dr. Joe Geist (with umbrella) look on at left as the CMU plant operations crew assist in placing the sculpture in a spate of rain and sleet. At far left, Anna Mae Hodge, the only remaining founder of the gallery, and former curator Tom Yancey, unveil the artwork at Homecoming. At center is a close-up of Synergy framed by an autumn tree against the white brick of Givens Hall.