Interactive Art on Campus: Past and Future

Article by David McConaughy & Photography by Luke Teigue | Owl Staff

Tedder, created by Dane Winkler, currently is on display at Joppa Hall and can regularly be seen being pushed around by students.

Harford Community College’s Art + Design faculty have passionately enriched the campus experience by purchasing and displaying art around campus for decades. Pieces are acquired through art calls and donations, with others being purchased from HCC students through the Student Purchase Award.

Two pieces that stand out are Tedder by Dane Winkler, and Beta Wave by Mike Roig. Installed in the courtyard between the Library and Student Center, spinning in the wind, Beta Wave is a futuristic wonder gleaming in the sun and Tedder is a freely spinning sculpture cast in metal and concrete.

“We were looking for pieces that were interesting to look at unusual works…,” says Professor Jim Mcfarland. “Beta Wave was just inventive, playful, it’s not really representational work, a lot of [Mike Roig’s] work moves, it was just engaging work.”

Jim McFarland has taught Art + Design courses at HCC since joining the faculty in 1990. He has made it his personal goal to install artwork across campus and his community in Havre de Grace. He speaks of it passionately and considers HCC’s collection to be the largest in our area. 

“To have actual art on the campus that we can talk about while we’re learning sculpture is really beneficial…”

“There was some funding from HCC’s sixtieth anniversary,” says Mcfarland. “And there was some money that was set aside…we wanted to use it to support the arts and the dean at the time recommended sculpture.” 

The pieces that were chosen by committee were Tedder and Beta Wave. In the Joppa Hall courtyard, Tedder sits encircled by its own track, a two inch rut where the grass has been rolled out by students interacting with the art. 

Tedder is fabricated steel and cast concrete, with the ability to spin when pushed. Dane Winkler created Tedder to explore what terraforming might look like in the distant future. The circular movement of the sculpture and the shoulder height handles harken back to a time on Earth when energy and farming required physical strength, instead of gasoline. The piece has rusted over time, adding to the surreal sense of looking at an artifact.

“I hear from people who see that work,” says Mcfarland. “Because the works are both pretty visible, Beta Wave is in the main part of the campus… I always take sculpture classes to look at the work; we talk about it. It’s a direct connection to the curriculum that we’re working on, so to have actual art on the campus that we can talk about while we’re learning sculpture is really beneficial, so I think that really enhances the experience.”

The artistic landscape at HCC is a testament to the dedication and vision of its Art + Design department. Through the tireless efforts of faculty members like Jim McFarland, Heidi Neff Chuffo and Karen Kohles, our campus is a vibrant hub of creativity and inspiration. As the legacy of cultural enrichment flourishes at HCC, it is a reminder of the persistent power of art to inspire minds, spark conversations, and enrich life.

Mike Roig’s futuristic Beta Wave is designed to spin freely by catching the wind.