Date:
5/2/2002
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
Reporter: Colleen Wright
PORTALES – New to the Eastern New Mexico University campus is a sculpture called "In the Loop." The figurative piece of a bronzed man is by Santa Fe artist Michael Bergt.
"In the Loop," next to the Jack Williamson Liberal Arts Building, honors late ENMU attorney Raymond Schowers.
Schowers, of Sutin, Thayer and Browne in Albuquerque, was the attorney for ENMU for many years. When he passed away he left the University $10,000 to use for campus art. His law firm donated an additional $10,000 in Schowers' name to be used for the same purpose.
Former ENMU president Everett Frost, before retiring, asked the chair of the ENMU Art Department, Mic Muhlbauer, to form a committee and place a sculpture somewhere on campus in honor of Schowers. The committee was made up of three people from the community and two from campus.
Muhlbauer went to Santa Fe to explore about 40 galleries for the right piece. She picked 20 sculptures to take to Portales for the committee to make a selection from. The committee chose "In the Loop."
"Their reasoning was that all the recently acquired art work on campus was abstract. This piece was figurative, a nice change for the university environment," Muhlbauer said.
The sculpture is all bronze on a steel base. "'In the Loop' is a limited-edition piece, so there are only nine in existence," said Muhlbauer.
'In the Loop' is the new sculpture gracing the ENMU campus near the Jack Williamson Liberal Arts Building.
(photo by Vanessa Ring)