Susan Ewing Sculpture "Starsphere 2010" - fabricated by John Bridges

OXFORD, OHIO -- An Oxford woman is helping to remind Kent State students of the importance of the First Amendment.

Local artist Susan Ewing has created a sculpture with star shapes — representing the ideas of truth and light. The piece, which she named StarSphere, will be installed outside the journalism school at Kent State as part of a sculpture walk connecting the campus to its Uptown.

Ewing was selected to create a piece through the Ohio Arts Council in a statewide competition.

The 5,000-pound creation was fabricated with 100 percent stainless steel by John Bridges, Shadetree Machine, in Madison Twp. It spans 12 feet at its largest dimension, Ewing said.

"I saw star as a very abstract way to think about freedoms," she said.

Ewing said a star represents the importance of freedom of the press — an important reminder at Kent State, where four students were killed by National Guard members during a demonstration over the invasion of Cambodia in 1970.

Ewing has long been working with stars, which show up in her sculptures in Cincinnati, at the Voice of America park in West Chester Twp. and in other countries.

For the Kent sculpture, stars are seen in negative space created by round pieces. The text of the First Amendment is slightly raised around the outside.

Ewing said light will play off the angles of the piece and passersby will be able to go up and into it.

"It's much more complicated than first appearance," she said.

"I hope that it's a piece that stays in people's minds," she said. "And they can think of intangible ideas like freedoms in the First Amendment."