Date of Award

Spring 5-31-2026

Document Type

Open Access Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Art (BA)

Department

History

Advisor

Sam Toabe

Director

Leonard von Morze

Subject Categories

Interactive Arts | Sculpture

Abstract

Led by the conviction that “a public campus needs public art,” Professor Paul Tucker founded UMass Boston’s Arts on the Point (AoP) sculpture park in 1997. Large-scale works by world-class contemporary artists including Sol LeWitt, Dennis Oppenheim, Luis Jiménez, Sheila Pepe, and Mark di Suvero were made accessible to students, served as teaching aids and attracted those outside of UMB to Columbia Point. AoP’s use of long term loans made the landscape itself a rotating gallery.

Consideration of the “personality” of the campus was essential in the selection of works. Site visits with artists were conducted to ensure that their work would meld with the landscape and community. Jiménez’s monumental Steelworker is of particular note, as it resonated with the student body and was a community gathering location. Programs in collaboration with local organizations and community centers worked to establish a sense of pride in Columbia Point and built relationships with surrounding communities.

This paper will investigate the role of public art on collegiate campuses as a tool for community engagement, using AoP as a case study. With a lack of published literature on AoP, this original research project draws on Arts on the Point archives and correspondence with Paul Tucker and others to consider how this initiative in public art engaged the site of this public university. This research culminates in an exhibition I curated at the University Hall Gallery at UMass Boston in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the program.

Comments

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