Client: Texas Tech University System Public Art Collection
Location: El Paso, TX, United States
Completion date: 2020
Project Team
Executive Director of Public Art
Emily Wilkinson
Texas Tech University System
Artist
Thomas Sayre
Clearscapes
Overview
“Between Earth and Sky” metaphorically asserts that humans exist somewhere between the opposites of body and mind, between the physical and the spiritual, and that we are most human when those forces are in balance. The artwork depicts both earth and sky literally with its walls cast directly into hand-sculpted earthen molds, and the wind vanes making visible the subtle and ever-changing movement of the wind. The artwork envisions that effective healthcare employs both the delicate art of healing and the rigors of high-tech science. Humans are, generally, most healthy when we live between earth and sky.
Goals
This is a percent-for-art project, specifically commissioned for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso campus.
Process
Relevant concepts the artist was asked to consider was the medical field and how to integrate medicine into the culture and vibrancy of El Paso. They were also asked to create a natural gathering place for students and the community.