College Campus Art Sights: The Stuart Collection's "Snake Path"

The Stuart Collection at the University of California, San Diego burgeoned by the partnership of the university and the Stuart Foundation. It was around 1982 when the agreement was decided to have the entire campus of UCSD used for commissioned pieces of sculpture by various artists. Many of the sculptures' artists- such as Robert Irwin, John Baldessari, and Barbara Kruger- have been long time habitués of several art history books and pose as the leading artists of our time. The Stuart Collection aims to enhance the cultural and intellectual life of the UCSD campus through the installation of many unique and site-specific sculptures.

A personal favorite of mine for its clever biblical allusion and overall concept is "Snake Path" by artist Alexis Smith. Completed in 1992, this piece comes to life by its serpentine composition through the nature and terrain of the campus as it climbs upward a hill. Located in the center of the college, this vast piece is made up of a 560 foot long, 10 foot wide footpath that takes the form of a snake whose head ends and directs toward Geisel Library. One of the most striking aspects of this piece is the carefully constructed concept of the work as a whole. Near the beginning of the trail and by the base of the hill is a large granite book incised with a quote from John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost: "And wilt thou not be loath to leave this Paradise, but shalt posses a Paradise within thee, happier far." There is also part of the trail that meets a small garden with a marble bench and a pomegranate tree. Engraved on the bench are the images of Adam and Eve and when coupled with the fruit tree is there the obvious implication of the Garden of Eden.

Snake Path works accordingly to its environment and furthermore acts as a partner to the university library whose architectural structure takes the shape of a modern geometric tree. The appearance of the library symbolizes the Tree of Knowledge due to the fact that the library is the main holder of the school's books and information. Through "Snake Path" does Smith bring forth the conflict between innocence and knowledge. The implementation of Milton's quote further encourages the concept of finding peace within oneself outside the idealistic and Eden-esque parameters of the university and "speaks directly to the student on the verge of entering the real world".

What is interesting about this art piece is that it takes a certain amount of traveling and observation to gain insight of its meaning. Despite being a slightly precipitous hill, the stroll is scenic and one may even have the company of rabbits frolicking through the green nature. Furthermore, the end of the trail and the top of the hill offers a pleasant view of the UCSD campus that both tourist and attending student cannot help but appreciate.

Credit
Stuart Art Collection brochure written by Mary Livingstone Beebe and Robert Storr.