A group of Missouri State sculpture students are celebrating the final step in their Sculpture Walk Springfield process after the big reveal took place this weekend. The sculptures were officially introduced to the community on April 23 as part of Sculpture Walk Springfield’s Collection Celebration. For the student artists involved, it was an exciting moment to see their ideas go from a sketchbook or a small-scale model to a full-size piece of art to be enjoyed by visitors of downtown Springfield.

The following sculptures were made by seniors in Missouri State’s 3D Studies program for Sculpture Walk Springfield’s 2022-23 collection:

Paradigm Shifts – 2 Walking Through a Quagmire, Shayna Marose

Shayna started working on a concept last semester involving life preservers and the idea of something recognized as a life-saving apparatus that is unable to save you under certain circumstances. After experiencing the sudden change of her mother passing unexpectedly in November, Shayna saw her concept as the perfect outlet to express what she had been going through. Her walk-through sculpture is built around four life-preservers. “It’s a two-fold thing . . . Four was the number selected because, as I was performing CPR on her, four was the number that was being counted by the [911] operator. It’s also a way to acknowledge what the 911 dispatcher and paramedics did. It’s as much a thank you and an honoring to the challenges we have all faced from the pandemic as much as it is a personal discussion about grief and other emotional experiences,” Shayna explains.

Power Crystal #1: Empathy, Peter Harmon

“This year the concept I’m working with is empathy and the beauty of it. There’s a lot of negative problems in the world, and it’s very easy to get stuck on them,” Peter explains. His goal with this piece is to spread a positive message of the good the world has to offer during a time when everyone has gone through so much. This is Peter’s second time participating in Sculpture Walk Springfield, after his sculpture, “Sonus Synchronizer,” was featured last year.

For Healthcare, Timothy Damaso

Timothy wanted to pay tribute to those in the healthcare field and their significant impact in dealing with Covid-19. Timothy shares, “It’s an homage to all the healthcare workers that risked their lives during the pandemic to help people get healthier, as well as the scientists that have done the research to get our vaccines that have helped fight the pandemic.” This is Timothy’s second time participating in Sculpture Walk Springfield; his piece, “Illusionary Walkway” was featured in last year’s collection.

Never Too Far, Joe Duggar

With 15 years of prior welding experience under his belt, Joe applied for sculpture walk as a first-year sculpture student and participated in Sculpture Walk for the first time last year with his piece entitled, “Guidance.” This year, his kinetic sculpture, “Never Too Far,” reminds us that we never too far from those we miss the most. “It’s about how we are forced to be apart from the ones we love at times, yet they are not really away from us because they live in our memories. The piece works with positive and negative space—as the positive space moves out away from the central form, the shadows still form a union through the light of the negative space,” Joe adds.

Agatha’s Contest, Timothy Pease

Timothy’s sculpture acts as a dedication to healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The sculpture depicts a representation of the nurses in our healthcare system, through the figure of Saint Agatha, fighting against the Covid-19 virus. This is Timothy’s first year participating in Sculpture Walk. “It has been a wonderful opportunity. At times it has been stressful and has pushed my physical capabilities, but I have enjoyed the challenge . . . It is an honor and amazing opportunity to be invited to participate while pursuing my education,” Timothy shares.

Each of these works can be viewed in person at various locations in downtown Springfield. To explore the full collection of sculptures, follow Sculpture Walk Springfield’s printable map.

Taylor Ladd is a graduate assistant for the Department of Art + Design. She is working towards her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University with professional interests in writing about art, culture, and food.