Portfolio

4 Digital Paintings

Esoteric Self Portrait

Currency

Final Project

Augusta University Summerville Campus on Innovation & Community Public Arts Proposal

Artist Statement and Concept

Augusta University’s Summerville Campus is a symbol of forward-thinking education and meaningful community connection. Rooted Reach is my proposal that seeks to embody these foundational values—inspiration through innovation, and strength through community—by creating a living, evolving sculpture that intertwines human form with natural growth.

The monument will feature three elongated human figures, each unique in proportion and body shape, representing the diversity of human experience and the individuality of every student’s journey. Their forms will be modest yet dynamic, stretched upwards as though in quiet striving. Each figure will be delicately poised on its toes, heads back tilted skyward, faces cast toward their extended hands—hands that hold shallow bowls of soil. These vessels, raised towards their light to symbolize nurturing: humans giving to nature, and in time, nature giving back.

Constructed with a steel rebar framework and cast in concrete, the figures will be durable, tactile, and safe for public interaction. Their surfaces will be intentionally textured, inviting nature to participate in the artwork’s evolution. Over time, moss, lichens, and other ground-hugging flora will claim the lower halves of the statues, particularly on the shaded sides, softening their forms and bringing the art piece to an equilibrium with the environment.

The bowls held aloft by each figure will be planted with fast-growing, light-clinging, or fruiting plants—vines such as gentler grape varieties that won’t overwhelm the sculpture but drape gracefully, echoing the gesture of the figures. The symbiotic relationship between sculpture and greenery reinforces the concept of innovation as a process deeply rooted in the natural world and nurtured by communal effort.

Installation and Materials

Materials: Steel rebar, cast concrete, soil, and live plants (selectively chosen based on climate and growth behavior)

Size: Each figure will be at minimum 10’ tall, the center figure being the tallest of the trio, positioned on an embedded concrete base on integrated directly into the landscape with secure below-ground anchoring.

Safety & Durability: All materials will be weather-resistant and finished to allow safe public interaction while withstanding outdoor conditions. Texture concrete will help facilitate plant growth without compromising structure integrity.

Conclusion

Rooted Reach is more than a static installation. It is a living tribute to the university’s mission. By physically embodying the dynamic relationship between human beings and their environment, it invites ongoing reflection on how growth—academic, personal, and communal—requires both grounding and aspiration. This piece encourages not only interaction, but participation, reminding all who pass by that innovation begins with what we nurture together.