Artist alum gifts permanent, large-scale sculpture to campus
A new permanent, large-scale sculpture has found its home on Skidmore鈥檚 campus. 鈥淭ingwon,鈥� installed just outside the College鈥檚 Saisselin Art Building, was gifted to the College by sculptor Fitzhugh Karol 鈥�04 and marks a meaningful full-circle moment in his career. The sculpture is an offering to the institution that helped shape him 鈥� an invitation to gather, reflect, and connect with form and meaning in daily life.
"Tingwon" in its original form at Sculpture by the Sea on Bondi and Cottesloe Beaches, a popular event in Australia that transforms the coast into a temporary sculpture park..
Karol, known for his meditative, material-forward practice, works across a wide range of mediums including steel, ceramics, and wood. This new installation is an evolution of his work 鈥淭ingwon,鈥� which was previously exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea on Bondi and Cottesloe Beaches, one of Australia鈥檚 most attended sculptural events.
The piece has been reimagined and adapted specifically for its new home at Skidmore, where Karol first began his formal educational and artistic journey.
Having an artwork come to campus feels full circle indeed 鈥� it鈥檚 very exciting for me. I love that students will sit on and around the work. They鈥檒l have it in their everyday background and be in conversation with it.Fitzhugh Karol 鈥�04
"My process is about play, immersing myself and transporting myself within the landscape of work. Large-scale sculpture allows the viewer to take part in that as well."
The sculpture was unveiled during a small gathering on Monday, May 12, where Karol explained the sculpture鈥檚 origins, inspired by a visit to Tingwon, a small, volcanic island off the coast of Papua New Guinea.
President Marc C. Conner offered thanks and remarks during a small gathering following the installation of "Tingwon."
鈥溾�楾ingwon鈥� has volcanic, seafaring, and journeying origins. And in some ways, those are all things that students are doing during their time at Skidmore,鈥� reflected President Marc Conner during the celebration. 鈥淭hey're journeying 鈥� trying to find their foundations 鈥� and so I thank Fitzhugh Karol for this remarkable work of expression.鈥�
His 黑料正能量roots
Karol discovered his passion for sculpture during an introductory ceramics course at 黑料正能量. He took the class as a first year with the late Professor Emeritus of Art Regis Brodie, an acclaimed ceramicist who inspired generations of students and community members. He also recalls fondly working alongside artist Leslie Ferst 鈥�76 during her 19-year tenure at the College.
鈥淚t was the art department here 鈥� the ceramics department 鈥� where I began to define who I was through familiarity with a material and develop that first creative language,鈥� says Karol.
鈥淕rad school introduced me to different materials, but it was the ability to find a language in another material 鈥� in an artistic and creative language in clay 鈥� that really started here. Creative thinking and the making of things is what I think of as my contribution, my language 鈥� it鈥檚 what I want to do with my life.鈥�
A prot茅g茅 of the revered ceramicist Toshiko Takaezu, Karol credits his apprenticeship with her as equally formative.
Karol spoke about his experience with Toshiko Takaezu at the Noguchi Museum in 2024. Sculptures by Toshiko Takaezu 漏 Family of Toshiko Takaezu. Photo credit to Ilya Savenok.
鈥淭oshiko taught me that daily life is a practice 鈥� making, cooking, cleaning, gardening, interacting 鈥� it all feeds the work. Her philosophies and dedication to her practice and pursuits remain one of the strongest guiding forces in everything I do,鈥� he says.
Takaezu鈥檚 connection to 黑料正能量spanned decades, beginning with her role as a visiting artist in the Summer Six art program in the 1970s. With the help of students and alumni, she created monumental sculptures and later returned to campus to complete some of the largest works of her career using the College鈥檚 oversized kilns.
A backdrop for new memories
Karol鈥檚 work is characterized by bold silhouettes drawn from landscapes, simple planes interrupted by voids or circles, and a balance of masculine weight with feminine grace. He begins many sculptures with paper and cardboard, translating that delicacy into steel 鈥� imbuing his monumental works with an artisanal and attentive spirit.
His installations 鈥� seen in public spaces from Prospect Park to the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge 鈥� often encourage interaction and community. At Skidmore, his sculpture 鈥淩ecess: Reads鈥� invited such engagement on the grounds from 2022 to 2024.
He hopes the new work becomes a part of both the physical and metaphysical landscape of student experience, much like the Mark di Suvero sculpture he played on as a child at Dartmouth College.
Karol reflects, 鈥淭hat experience shaped me as a young kid. This is my hope for the students here 鈥� that this work becomes theirs, a backdrop to the memories that will play in their minds forever.鈥�
