The sculptor Gary Haven Smith’s work certainly evokes the most thought. His circular granite pieces look and mean something, though to each viewer the meaning is very different. The works can be seen as both fragile and as strong. Their neutral coloring gives great mystery to their purpose. Among the students, the most common response was the idea that the sculptures are intended to represent bones, and indeed their earthy tones and flaky texture seem very similar to that of bones one would find in the woods. This idea of bones creates metaphors of natural death, while their circular shape relates to the circle of life. Whatever these works represent to viewers, they evoke both thought and emotion. The artist’s ability to evoke such thought and emotion makes his pieces both remarkable and fascinating.
Julia Macdonald, '08
