Thousands of students pass by a rusted metal sculpture on Western Washington University’s south campus every day.
The sculpture, named “Untitled,” is one of artist Donald Judd’s many minimalist art pieces created during his career. Most of Judd’s pieces have the name “Untitled” to signify minimalism.
“Donald Judd is the father of minimalist art in New York,” said Hafþór Yngvason, head of the university’s Western Gallery.
The sculpture first sat on the opposite side of campus from 1982 to 2014, when it was removed due to corrosion from rain exposure and excess water runoff. After four years in storage, the sculpture was restored and placed on the south side of campus where there was less of a risk of damage.
Its original positioning led people to a theory about the piece.
“If you looked through it, you would see out to the Canadian coastal mountains,” Yngvason said. “So, people insisted that it was about framing the environment, but that wasn’t Judd’s intention at all.”
Judd intended for this steel artwork to capture the elements within the sculpture instead of what it points to or frames. The rusted art sculpture doesn’t point to any unique environmental feature in its current place.
“It’s made of quartz and steel,” Yngvason said. “The material rusts, which creates a truly beautiful patina.”
CDN thanks Western Washington University professor John Harris for submitting student work from his newswriting class.
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