Unity and diversity, both overused buzzwords in today’s social commentary to grab attention, much as I’m doing now, right?
A graduate art student at NMSU wrote a proposal for an art commission competition based on her perception of Las Cruces, won the commission, and named her sculpture installation “Unity in Diversity.” Cashing in on buzzwords for attention? Hardly. The art installation was commissioned over 35 years ago.
I had the pleasure of chatting with artist Beverly Penn, whose sculpture “Unity in Diversity” stands at the entrance to the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library (TBML) parking lot. “The inspiration behind the design was the diversity of rich cultures of Las Cruces that I observed,” she said. Ms. Penn was also influenced by the adjacent library. “A library is a resource, right? Filled with information contained in books and other materials. Everything in a library comes together to complete this resource for knowledge. That’s also reflected in the design of my sculpture.” The art piece is made of Corten steel and galvanized steel pipe, featuring a wedge-like shape standing on end with linear elements anchored at the base leading to the top in a cluster. “The standing element is actually a circle,” said Ms. Penn. “If it were to lay flat, it would be a full circle, which in architectural terms is the most perfect of shapes; always in motion and always in rest.” She explained that the linear elements represent the many diverse cultures, inputs, and support that are required to keep a community together, symbolized by the circle.
The City of Las Cruces partnered with NMSU to apply for a grant to fund public art projects. “The grant funded $10,000 annually for art commissions,” recalls Ms. Penn. “My sculpture was the first of three art installations funded by that grant.” Penn remembers there were about ten art students who submitted proposals for this commission. Her proposal was chosen by a selection committee made up of university art department staff, including the department head, and City staff. The artist recollects that “tapping” the linear elements (securing them together at the top) was the hardest part. During our discussion, she confirmed that “the linear rod side, where the plaque is, is the front side of the sculpture”. The entire sculpture took about 18 months to complete. It was recently relocated from another location within Albert Johnson Park to its current location closer to TBML.
Beverly Pennis currently a tenured Professor in the School of Art and Design at Texas State University. Her impressive scope of creative work includes both national and international accolades. She includes “Unity in Diversity” in her list of commissioned public art projects, which is a nice nod to that $10,000 graduate student project, created so long ago but still relevant in its message.
