Seven student-artists designed the new sculptures using the theme of movement as
inspiration. The sculptures will be installed in time for the 2017 UCI BMX World Championships
in late July.
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — As the Rock Hill community prepares for the 2017 UCI BMX World Championships in July, Winthrop University Fine Arts Professor Shaun Cassidy saw the opportunity as a chance to create.
Inspired by the upcoming championship, Cassidy tasked his Sculpture I students with
creating new sculptures for the park located at the corner of East Main Street and Dave Lyle Boulevard.
"Students were given the theme of ˜movement' to inspire their sculptures," said Cassidy.
"They had to incorporate a double-bearing system so the sculptures moved. It's an
ambitious project."
Winthrop students have had sculptures in this location for more than seven years,
Cassidy noted.
"It's exciting for the students to get to put a sculpture in Old Town Rock Hill,"
said Cassidy. "They have to consider durability, scale, visibility lots for them to
think about."
Cassidy added that he likes large-scale projects because students must work as a team in collaborative and supportive ways. Students involved in the project include Cody
Cannon of Beaufort, South Carolina; Sarah Kear of Ridgeville, South Carolina; Fatima
Santos of Portugal; Victoria Carter of Conway, South Carolina; Jason Sandy; Kristen
Rowell of Beaufort; and Arianna Williams.
The sculpture park is part of a larger initiative by the Winthrop Department of Fine Arts to push beyond the boundaries of campus and into the wider community to showcase the ability of students. Cassidy believes that public art is attractive to those who live in Rock Hill as
well as people who want to relocate or invest in the community.
"Public art is a great way to signal that a community is committed to art," said Cassidy.
"We want to get people more comfortable with seeing art and encourage them to come
on campus to see and learn more."
Cassidy has produced more than 20 projects on Winthrop's campus, and he encourages
his students to get involved in public art as well.
For more information on the sculpture project or other public art projects at Winthrop,
contact Whitney Hough at 803/323-2399 or houghw@winthrop.edu.
