"Cracked Ice"- a public art exhibit installed during Spring Break 2024 - is the first new major public art exhibition erected at SUNY Old Westbury in more than 40 years.
Created by artist Del Geist, "Cracked Ice" features three structures of stone and stainless steel, symbolizing massive boulders suspended by the remnants of ancient glaciers, now shrinking from the gradual melting of ice over time. The works are sited to appear slightly precarious as a metaphor for climate change, alluding to a precarious situation for the earth.
Muir
10 feet high x 3.9 feet x 6.5 feet
Champlain
10.5 feet high x 4.5 feet x 12.5 feet
Laurentide
18 feet high x 10 feet x 11 feet
The presence of these works speaks to our campus' commitment to building a more sustainable world. These sculptures will serve as a discussion and teaching point, offering all on campus the opportunity to experience the artist's craft and consider the questions and concerns around climate change that led to his creations.
-- Timothy Sams, president, SUNY Old Westbury
The Installation
A three-person crew from Lyle Welding Fabrication of Poultney Vermont began work at 7 a.m. on March 18,2024 to construct "Cracked Ice" outside the Campus Center. Seven hours later, three new sculptures were calling SUNY Old Westbury home.
About the Artist
Del Geist has integrated art into the public realm for more than 40 years. As an artist, using the natural sciences as a palette, he has developed major site-specific artworks worldwide.
Rising in Stop-Motion
"Cracked Ice - Champlain"
Cracked Ice - Laurentide
Other Public Art on Campus
Competition
Created by: William King
Location: Meadow Terrace
Photo circa September 1982 by Bob Dixon
Rebus
By: Joseph Mack
Location: Adjacent to Campus Center Sidewalk Plaza, western hill
Photo circa May 1982 by George Meyer
Thomas Eareckson Memorial Garden
Location: Courtyard within E-, F- and G-Wings of Campus Center
Photo circa 2024 by the Office of Communications & University Relations
The Thomas Eareckson Memorial Garden is home to multiple sculptures created over time by students of the campus' Visual Arts program. The space was dedicated on May 22, 1988, in honor of Dr. Eareckson and his 15 years of service to the students of SUNY Old Westbury as an administrator related to business and finance operations.
Support for the installation of "Cracked Ice" was provided by:
The Auxiliary Service Corporation of SUNY Old Westbury
The Old Westbury College Foundation, Inc.