Earthworks on Campus

Earth art (also called "land art") refers to a movement of artists with wide ranging goals, but all created in nature, employing such materials as stones, dirt, and leaves. "Earthworks" is the same movement. Most works are sculptural. Earthworks often refer to phenomena such as the slow process of erosion or to the movement of planets or stars, especially the sun. Many earthworks are intended to help us to better understand nature. Some demonstrate the inherent differences between nature and civilization, often pointing out artists' desires to understand, conquer, and control natural processes. During the late 1960s and early 1970s art began to move outdoors from galleries. Using the indigenous materials available around the campus, students in the sculpture class have recently been creating works within a typical 50-minute block, as can be seen in the illustration.