By Emily Wunderlich
After the leaf miner — a species of insect larva on campus — hatches on a leaf, it eats the leaf and leaves behind a trail.
Those trails are exaggerated in a vibrant new sculpture mounted on Lowell E. Davis Memorial Hall, on the wall opposite The Campus Grind.
“It’s really about how the artist transforms natural facts and phenomena into an artistic statement,” said Ann Wykell, the university’s public arts consultant.
“Paths to Consumption: USFSP” is the latest in a series by Kenny Jensen, a multidisciplinary artist based in St. Petersburg. A native landscape gardener, Jensen is fascinated by the natural world and seeks to explore it through his work.
“Through these explorations, I hope to open up a dialogue toward reconstructing new ways of seeing ourselves and our collective place in the world,” his website says.
The sculpture was a project between the artists and several environmental studies classes last semester. Funded by the university’s Places, Spaces, and Art program, the installation cost about $30,000.
“When we developed this project, it came out of trying to be relevant to what is important on our campus,” Wykell said. “Issues of sustainability and environmental studies are important themes.”
Wykell said she tries to bring at least one artist to campus every year in an “in-depth way,” either by allowing them to interact with students or simply leave their creative mark.
Last spring, South Florida-based muralist Elio Mercado painted four murals exploring sustainability in the Student Life Center. And in March, combat photographer Stacy Pearsall photographed veterans on campus, who were highlighted with their stories in the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library for Veterans Day.
Jensen will reveal his sculpture from 4 to 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 across from The Campus Grind. Free refreshments will be provided. More of his exhibits will be on display in the Poynter Library through the end of March. To send feedback to Places, Spaces, and Art, email Ann Wykell at awykell@mail.usf.edu.
