Sculpture graces entrance to Elon College’s science center

ELON COLLEGE – A marble sculpture by international sculptor and artist Horace Farlowe was installed Wednesday, Dec. 29 at the entrance plaza of Elon College’s Dalton L. McMichael Sr. Science Center.

The 11-piece abstract sculpture is made of white Georgia marble from a quarry near Athens. “Marble is excellent to work with for outdoor sculpture because little water can permeate it,” said Horace Farlowe, the artist who created the sculpture.

The sculpture has a strong vertical design to complement and compete with the vertical lines of the science center’s entrance. Parts of the sculpture suggest elements of scientific interest. There are flat areas designed for sitting, and areas between the elements that are open for easy access.

Farlowe said the sculpture reminds him of “wonderful plant forms swaying in the bottom of the ocean.”

A committee of faculty, staff and students chose Farlowe’s design earlier this year. The college had invited artists from 13 states on the Eastern Seaboard to submit slides of their recent outdoor work. The finalists were asked to submit specific proposals and were invited to campus.

Farlowe is a professor of art in the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia at Athens. His work has been displayed through southeastern United States and internationally in Scotland and Italy.

His works are in several well-known museums, galleries and corporate collections, including the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, Hanes Collection in Winston-Salem, North Telecom Inc. in Research Triangle Park, and R.J. Reynolds Industries in Winston-Salem. He also has a painting on display at the Concoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.

In 1997, Farlowe taught in Cortona, Italy as a professor in the University of Georgia’s studies abroad program. One of his sculptures was exhibited at the Palazzo Vagnotti in Cortona. In 1995, he was awarded a residency at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Lumsdem, Scotland.
Farlowe has a master’s degree in sculpture from East Carolina University and a bachelor’s degree from Atlantic Christian College, which is now known as Barton College.

McMichael, which houses the biology, chemistry, physics and physical therapy programs, opened in fall 1998.

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