Peter Woytuk Sculpture at University of Kentucky

New sculptures aim to draw crowds

Students, staff and faculty perusing UK's campus may notice a few new additions to the scenery.

The Art Museum at UK, located in the Singletary Center for the Arts, recently introduced three new artworks into its outdoor sculpture garden. Two of the sculptures are the work of Peter Woytuk and the third is by Albert Paley, according to a UK news release. A public unveiling is scheduled for 3 p.m. Nov. 7 in the garden between the Singletary Center and the Student Center.

"We felt like [the Art Museum] needed a greater presence here at UK; a lot of students don't even know where the Art Museum is," Art Museum Public Relations coordinator Dorothy Freeman said. "We felt like this was a good way of making our presence known."

The International Herald Tribune has called Woytuk "the greatest animal sculptor of the Western world in the closing years of the 20th century," and his sculptures "The Pair" and "Raven Bench" are now part of the UK community, the release said.

"The Pair" is a bronze sculpture depicting two pears in an organic form, with a "beautiful patina that looks like the color of a pear," Freeman said. It is located close to the west entrance of the museum, next to Stoll Field.

"Raven Bench" consists of an inquisitive raven on top of an 11-foot-long slab of stone that serves as a bench, placed near the sidewalk by Rose Street. Freeman said a bench might "encourage people to hang out around the Art Museum a little bit more."

"It's been our pleasure to work as a group with the museum to research and find the perfect outdoor sculptures for the garden," said Kim Knight, president of the Art Museum's collectors, who purchased the sculptures. "We hope that 'The Pair' and 'Raven Bench' will serve as an invitation to the public to come in and enjoy the rest of our wonderful collection."

Paley's work, "Sylvan," is an 18-foot-tall steel sculpture consisting of forms from the natural world, the release said. Paley is the first metal sculptor given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Institute of Architects.

With these additions, eight sculptures now populate the UK campus.

"We have a long-term plan, and this is just the beginning of it," Freeman said.