To the Editor:
Finally! Someone has voiced concerns about the "Bearing" statue in the Hopkins Center Darling Courtyard["Hop sculpture is ambiguous, disgusting, but is it art?," The Dartmouth, January 21]. I was wondering how long that was going to take.
First, let me assure you I believe it is art. Personally, I find it to be a powerful and invoking piece worthy of display in any museum or gallery. Yet I share your concern over its present location.
It is my obligation to let the Dartmouth campus know of the past placement of the statue to let them form their own opinions. The sculpture was originally installed in the entrance to the Hood Museum. It was then quickly reinstalled in the Darling Courtyard. Why was this change of location made if not for concerns of how it might be perceived by the Hood's visitors? Timothy Rub, the director of the Hood, denies that it was due to concerns that children might be traumatized, yet there must have been some reason to have it relocated. I further question why they then chose to place it in the Darling Courtyard where the majority of the visiting public entering the Hopkins Center must pass.
The hallway surrounding the Darling Courtyard is one of the most traveled hallways on campus. It is between the HBs and the Hop's lobby. The curious and surprised glances from passersby in the hallways facing the courtyard, especially those of the children entering the Hopkins Center to visit the Hood Museum, would be a great subject for a photo essay. I know this for a fact. You see, my office faces the Darling Courtyard and I, therefore, have a unique and ever-present view of the sculpture. I can assure you that no one on campus is more aware of its presence and connotations than I am.
For example, I doubt that anyone has had the vantage point to notice the unique way in which the melting snow runs off the backside of the crouched figure. Trust me, it's not too pleasant a sight. I wonder if the artist originally intended for it to be displayed outside in the first place.
Humor aside, I am glad that the sculpture is on loan for only a year. Though I enjoy the sculpture as a piece of art, it is not something with which I would choose to adorn my office and I feel that it would be better appreciated in a different location. I hope that the Hood Museum will do better in the future when they decide whether or not the location chosen for a work of art is appropriate.
