In the wooded area by Bartlett Tower and the Bema that is seldom visited by students, there now stands a lone figure -- a statue of Robert Frost, the beloved poet who enrolled with the Class of 1896.
Erected this winter, the statue was a gift from the Class of 1961.
College Architect George Hathorn said the spot is an appropriate setting for the statue because "it's out in a natural landscape," typical of what Frost celebrated in his Pulitzer Prize-winning poems.
Hathorn said he hopes the Frost statue will encourage more pedestrian traffic in the area east of the Shattuck Observatory.
The new statue is one of very few at the College, but Hood Museum of Art Director Timothy Rub did not think the new Frost statue signaled a trend in increasing public sculpture at Dartmouth.
"Some institutions have a long tradition of public sculpture, and others do not," Rub said.
At Dartmouth, "the arts as part of the fabric of campus life are a relatively recent arrival," Rub said.
He noted that the Hood Museum and Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts both were relatively recent additions to Dartmouth, an institution that previously did not have as strong a focus on the arts.
At schools like Harvard University and Yale University -- where the arts have been more prominent -- alumni often donate statues, but this practice is less common at Dartmouth, according to Rub.
The Hood Museum's priority is more on developing its permanent collection than on putting up sculptures, he said.
Erecting a public sculpture is a lengthy, expensive and often divisive issue.
Dartmouth's Design Review Committee, whose members include the College president, College architect, provost, and director of the Hood Museum, is responsible for "the campus look," according to Associate Provost Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain.
The committee reviews the design of new projects on campus, Dyer-Chamberlain said.
According to Rub, the committee is "working towards" a general policy on public sculpture, but has been unable to do so due to a lack of consensus on what these sculptures should look like, whether figurative, abstract or traditional.
Furthermore, some people question whether the College campus needs more sculptures at all, considering its classic and simple look.
Libby Morgan '00 said the only statue she notices is "the woman in front of the Hop." Morgan also said although Dartmouth "looks good," she would not mind seeing more statues.
Michelle Ott '99 said the College should consider modern sculpture with caution since the campus has a conservative look, and "things that are more classical tend to be safer at Dartmouth."
Public sculpture was more of a priority at the College in the 1970s. The College acquired several sculptures during that decade, including Mark DiSuvero's X-Delta -- the rusting work behind the Hood Museum.
