By Rosy Banks
Staff Writer
Standing 10 feet tall and solid yellow, artist Betty Gold has created what art director Dr. Michael Zakian calls “a beacon of light” for the Malibu campus.
Tailored to match Pepperdine’s atmosphere and architecture, the outdoor sculpture stands in the center of one of the most commuted routes on Pepperdine’s campus. “Soller II,” named after its place of inspiration in Spain, lies between the Frederick R. Weisman Museum, Smothers Theatre and the Cultural Arts Center.
“I’d like to see it shared,” Zakian said. “We did not place it in the sculptural garden because people can just walk by without noticing it, we needed a piece that said, ‘This is the center for the arts.’ Now it can be seen from each corner of campus.”
As the sun moves across its edges, the simple piece changes with the fading shadows. The artist chose yellow as its color because Pepperdine seems to beam a yellowish cream from its walls.
Along with its complementing color, “Soller II” has angles that integrate with the shapes and lines of Pepperdine’s buildings. When studied, the roof angles coincide with those in the sculpture.
Its message, however, lies in the eyes of the beholder.
“Beauty can come from a simple piece of art,” Gold said. “It doesn’t have to be complicated and convoluted to be beautiful. You don’t have to overwork art in order to make it good.”
Sponsored by David Chatkin and his wife of Pennsylvania, Gold gives away one piece of art a year to a non-profit organization or university. Gold decided “Soller II” would have a good home at Pepperdine. She mentioned it to her friend Zakian, who accepted the sculpture quickly.
“Dangle a piece of art in front of an art director’s eyes and he’ll start salivating,” Zakian said at the dedication Sunday.
Gold molds sculptures from one piece of metal to exemplify her holistic approach to art. She said her sculpture “is the sum of all its parts.”
During her 30-year career as a professional sculptor, Gold’s work has graced the campus of Baylor University, Duke University and now Pepperdine. She was recently recruited to complete a piece for the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia.
The sculpture, which is also from the same series as “Soller II,” will be placed there in July. “Soller II” was the second completed piece in her series, with each piece named after a different inspirational destination, where she created the work.
Gold claims the sculpture is made possible by every art aficionado.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all of you,” she said to the audience at the dedication. “You who have believed in me and my sculptures. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”
Zakian said he and others of the art department are interested to see the impact of “Soller II” on campus. “It’s amazing to see reactions … The other day there was a student dancing around the sculpture. That is what we like to see,” he said.
March 20, 2003