We are excited to announce that University Village residents will notice a new addition to The University Village premises. In June of 2010, a sculture was installed in front of Phase I of The University Village. The following information has been provided by the artist, Tom Torluemke.
Reaching For The Stars, 2010
Location: Purdue University Calumet, 173rdSt., Hammond, IN
Artist: Tom Torluemke
Materials: Cast Fiberglass and Steel
Fabricators: Artists, Inc. Bill Pozzo & Eric Osborne
Engineers: Superior Engineering
Through hard work
aspire and achieve.
Keep an open mind,
open eyes and an open heart
Always look both ways, inside and out.
Meaning of the sculpture:
The form of the piece symbolizes the raising of a students hand in class or a student reaching into the future. (Aspiration)
The green color symbolizes growth, a new beginning and travel into the unknown.
The teardrop shapes connote the sweat and tears that often occur while working towards a goal.
The eye shape represents the importance of being able to look within ones self and outside ones self into the world to truly be whole and make a contribution.
Reaching for the Stars consists of 5 identical sculptures installed in a circle, located in front of student housing. The idea for the sculpture is to create a place for students to congregate. The bottom hands of the sculptures are designed as seating. In the center of the circle will be additional tables with seating.
Fabrication Process: A life size model was made using wood, masonite and foam. All edges will be smooth and rounded in the same fashion as the maquette. Molds were be made from the life size model from which the final castings will be made. Identical steel skeleton structures are molded into each of the final casted sculptures for structural support. The castings have the selected color/pattern cast directly into them with fiberglass. This process protects the piece from having colors that can be scratched off. A final, glossy, automotive grade, UV protective coating will be applied to each of the sculptures.
