Donated by Robert Larson ’56 and Karen Larson<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI consider this my best piece of sculpture. It will serve as a didactic reference, providing a link to history and a focus for the future.\u201d<\/p>Dimitri Hadzi, as quoted in \u201cPublic Art: More Than Meets The Eye\u201d by Susan Thurston and Nancy J. Ashmore, from the Carleton Archives<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The Carleton Arch, built outside the Gould Library in 1986, was designed by internationally renowned sculptor Dimitri Hadzi and commissioned as a gift to the College by Robert Larson \u201856 and Karen Larson. The sculpture is 18 feet tall, constructed primarily of six different kinds of stone from six different quarries around the U.S. and the world, and supported by steel pins, concrete, and epoxy. The materials were an intentional choice by Hadzi\u2013 the different stones and layers of epoxy give the piece an interesting texture and change their hue in the rain. The piece sits in \u201cFounder\u2019s Court\u201d, a paved brick circular area surrounded by a short wall and nearby \u201csatellite pieces\u201d to Hadzi\u2019s arch. When asked about the symbolic meaning of the piece, Hadzi described it as a youthful, hopeful symbol of \u201cstrength\u201d, \u201csolidity\u201d, and \u201cpermanence\u201d (Mason, 1986). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\nThe Carleton Arch during construction. Photography by Kathy Kalinowski, the Carletonian, 1986.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\nDimitri Hadzi in construction of the Carleton Arch, 1986.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
As discussed in Carletonian<\/em> articles from around the time of the sculpture\u2019s construction, however, many students and faculty disagreed with the value of the piece. The sculpture, which replaced a bed of petunias in front of the library, was viewed by many as an eyesore, a \u201cwaste of money,\u201d and \u201cunmistakably phallic\u201d\u2013 to summarize the views of those against the sculpture with a quote from one student, \u201cit sucks\u201d (Claybour, 1986; Longley, 1986). Other students and faculty defended the piece, urging their peers to take a second look at the Arch and give it a chance to earn more serious thought and appreciation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nowadays, most students wouldn\u2019t likely think twice about the Carleton Arch. In nearly 40 years, it\u2019s become an accepted part of Carleton\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Carleton Arch, built outside the Gould Library in 1986, was designed by internationally renowned sculptor Dimitri Hadzi and commissioned as a gift to the College by Robert Larson \u201856 and Karen Larson. The sculpture is 18 feet tall, constructed primarily of six different kinds of stone from six different quarries around the U.S. and the world, and supported by steel pins, concrete, and epoxy. The materials were an intentional choice by Hadzi\u2013 the different stones and layers of epoxy give the piece an interesting texture and change their hue in the rain. The piece sits in \u201cFounder\u2019s Court\u201d, a paved brick circular area surrounded by a short wall and nearby \u201csatellite pieces\u201d to Hadzi\u2019s arch. When asked about the symbolic meaning of the piece, Hadzi described it as a youthful, hopeful symbol of \u201cstrength\u201d, \u201csolidity\u201d, and \u201cpermanence\u201d (Mason, 1986).\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124,"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions\/124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hhfinals.dgah.sites.carleton.edu\/carletonsculptures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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