Many people enjoy art, but it is not always easy to make time to go and appreciate art in a museum or in a gallery. So, art major Mel Netherwood has thought of a way for the denizens of Sacramento State to enjoy art while they walk around campus.

While she has created a way for people to view art as they pass between classes, she has also invited everyone – students, faculty, staff, and even visitors – to participate in her new art project.

Anyone observing can add something themselves to Netherwood’s project.

On Thursday Netherwood introduced her project, a communal sculpture, in the Kadema Hall breezeway. It then made its way to the library quad on Monday and will continue being moved about campus all week.

Netherwood said the sculpture will finally return to the Kadema Hall breezeway tomorrow.

“It will be displayed the entire day with photographs of it in various stages and notes from its contributors,” Netherwood said. “It will be finally celebrated with a reception party at 5 p.m. for all to attend.”

She said the sculpture has a base that is four feet by four feet. It isn’t any one kind of medium either.

“It is total anarchy in this category: any and every material or object each person chooses to bring to the table, pun intended,” Netherwood said.

She calls the sculpture “campus collaborative.” Everyone can participate by adding to it. People walking by can add whatever they want. It will be interesting to see what it looks like after it finishes making its rounds about campus.

“The freedom of medium makes it impossible to predict and therefore exciting,” Netherwood said.

“I think it would be really interesting to see something like that. Bringing together everyone’s different ideas and perspectives through art is a way of recognizing our diversities and creating something beautiful with them,” pre-nursing major Tammy Nazanda said. “It’s something that would show that no matter who you are, your ideas are worth sharing.”

When asked what she would add, Nazanda said she would most likely add something important to her – like an idea she feels is worth showing others.

“Since I feel most comfortable expressing myself through writing, I would probably end up choosing to add a poem of some sort,” Netherwood said.

“It brings the faculty and the students together and it also incorporates different styles of art and different cultural and sub-cultural perspectives into the community,” said Theresa Brown, a communication studies and media major.

“Garden gnomes, only because I would want to have a garden theme. I am very conscious about the environment and I want people to pay attention to it,” Brown said when asked what she would add.

The sculpture is meant to have a lot of meaning as well.

“In the end the sculpture will stand as a visible signpost of conversation and in small ways will represent the contributions people make every day by simply being alive,” Netherwood said.

Nazanda also sees the possibility of connecting to other people through this sculpture.

“The sculpture will give people who might not normally have a medium for self expression like this a chance to be heard and seen through art,” Nazanda said.

As for the locations the sculpture will visit, Netherwood hopes that the sculpture will be taken to many locations on campus so as many people as possible have an opportunity to contribute.

“My friend Pablo Castellanos had the idea of a mobile gallery wall so artists could bring their work to the public,” Netherwood said when asked what inspired the idea.

Netherwood wants people to step out of their everyday ways of seeing the world.

“I’d like to see people step outside their day to day activities to think from different angles, have fun and express something.”

Luke Soin can be reached at [email protected].