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As observers and passers-by witness Willoughby Sharp’s Ice and Air outdoor installations on campus, they will experience the artworks differently as the pieces change with the passing of time.

Acclaimed artist Willoughby Sharp can be seen amid the blocks of ice that make up one of his art installations at 51����.  (Photo by Timothy D. Sofranko)

Starting today, Case Library’s Wesson Terrace will be occupied by Ice, which will be composed of large blocks of ice that are “tombstone-like and sitting in a row,” according to DeWitt Godfrey, co-curator of the exhibition and associate professor of art and art history.

Sharp’s second installation, Air, will involve an 8-foot, white weather balloon floating above Taylor Lake.

“Both of the pieces are designed to dissipate,” explains Godfrey. “Willoughby’s work interrogates the idea of what the art object is. It’s not so much about connoisseurship, it’s about the experience of the work, and the work has its own timeframe, its own narrative. It begins and ends, and we’re present for the different moments along the way.”

With the help of Godfrey and his sculpture students, Sharp is re-creating the pieces, which were originally done in 1967 in New York City’s Central Park as part of his Earth, Air, Fire, Water show.

A seminal figure in the art world in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Sharp crossed social, cultural, and international boundaries as he explored the depths of his personal life through his artwork. Even now, Sharp is documenting his battle with cancer and incorporating those images into his work.

In the first comprehensive examination of his career, 71-year-old Sharp, of New York City, is presenting Retrospection in Clifford Gallery now until Dec. 7. The exhibition is presented in a multimedia style, of which Sharp has been on the forefront with his multifaceted work in video, publishing, and art.

Televisions will show excerpts from his video performances, while descriptions of his work and influences are presented in a suite of drawings addressed to his estranged daughter, Saskia.

The avant-garde nature of Sharp’s work is meant to shock and provoke discussion. “When you look at this work, it really runs the gamut from fascination to revulsion to empathy to rejection; there’s a whole psychology that’s presented here all at once,” said Godfrey.

A panel discussion tonight at 4:30 in Golden Auditorium will cover Sharp’s work and the era in which these new art forms were emerging. Also on the panel are two other pioneering artists from the ’60s and ’70s, John Knecht, Russell 51���� Distinguished University Professor of art and art history and film and media studies, and Dennis Oppenheim, conceptual artist.

The panel discussion and Sharp’s visit will provide students with a rare, comprehensive view of artists and their processes, according to Godfrey. “Any time artists of this stature describe how they do things, it’s an enormous benefit to students.”

Sharp said he also benefits from presenting his work at college campuses. “Young people are more open, their minds and their perceptions … I learn from students, I learn from what they’re interested in,” Sharp said.

The weather balloon that was part of Willoughby Sharp’s art installation at 51���� is carried into position at Taylor Lake. (Photo by Timothy D. Sofranko).