Artist Hopes His Metal Work Will Spread the Seeds of Knowledge

The ornamental iron gates and panels complement the Spanish Renaissance architectural tradition of the entrance to the new Outreach and Distance Education building.

Written by Monica Higgins

With every strike of his hammer, Lars Stanley forged Texas Tech pride and South Plains’ tradition into the latest addition to the Public Art Collection: Growth on the Plains, 2007, for the newly opened Outreach and Distance Education Building.

Stanley described his work as a combination of geometric and organic genres which he makes fit into the framework for his pieces.

Every piece of art Stanley creates is a metaphor. They either represent the way ideas are molded into something physical or the role the project plays.

Proud of the work he was able to add to Texas Tech’s campus, Stanley said the project was desirable to him because of the recognition the university has received for its public art program and the innovation of the project.

The artist based his design on the organic forms and textures of wild prairie grasses native to the plains.

“Texas Tech’s public art program is unlike any other university and the caliber of the program usually belongs to cities, not universities,” the artist said.

This, along with Texas Tech’s recognition as one of the top ten public art programs in the nation by Public Art Review, created the allure which drew Stanley to Texas Tech.

It takes a creative mind and a great deal of work to mold tradition and history into metal, but for Stanley, it is a privilege. He melded the roots of the South with the integrity and strength of Texas Tech to create his addition to Texas Tech’s public art collection.

Stanley used his talents as an architect, designer and artist and brought a variety of unique skills to the table to produce pieces of art which hold special meaning and relate to the site of the project. Using the native grasses of the South Plains as his inspiration, Stanley created ornamental gates and panels for the new Outreach and Distance Education Building.

“I wanted to incorporate different types of grass since they, like the knowledge the program produces, are here to sustain life. I also felt the homage to the natural aspects of the South Plains was in keeping with the traditions of the campus architecture,” he said.

The grasses are also symbolic of the seeds of knowledge the distance learning program is planting all around the world.

Stanley said he doesn’t have a favorite piece, but a favorite aspect about each one. He added that public art projects are his favorite because they not only serve a conventional purpose, but an aesthetic one as well.

“It isn’t about creating pieces that showcase my talents so much as it is taking the client’s visions and making them into a reality,” he said.