Torso 11
Emory’s Public Art on Campus
Amy Pleasant
Torso 11, 2018
Fired and painted clay
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned by Emory Public Art Committee (PAC)
Fabricators used this maquette created by artist Amy Pleasant to cast the twelve foot tall bronze outdoor sculpture soon to be situated between the Quad and Cox Hall on Emory’s campus.
Pleasant’s work depicts a figure in repose, leaning back on the elbow, and resting on the ground. The piece was commissioned to honor the brave front line workers at Emory who battle COVID and other serious disease. The work’s intent is to give pause and to remind each viewer of our connection to one another. The reclining figure is especially poignant in relation to our current COVID crisis, as if the front-line worker is taking a rest from the battle but is ready to spring into action to meet the demands of the moment.
How do encounters with art in public places stimulate the senses, engage the intellect, or awaken the imagination?
