As I roamed
around the Palmer Museum of Art on September 7th, my attention span
was on a rampage. A day clear from classes, my mind was in dire need of absorbing
information. Do I observe early religious paintings from Italian painter
Ferretti first or digital art by Muniz? Or should I gaze at the beautifully
blown glass of Dale Chihuly on the first floor near the stairwell? After a
short 45 minutes of wondering and soaking up as much art as I could, I left
with my thoughts still wondering yet this time about one specific piece of art
I didn’t see inside the Palmer, but better yet directly outside of it.
Outside of the
main entrance of the Palmer Museum lie two large bronze lion paws. As for the
rhetorical situation, they were created between 1992-1993 by Paul Bowden. The Paws at the Palmer was dedicated as a gift for the Lion’s Paw
Alumni Association and Senior Society. This fact alone shows how much alumni still connect with the school still and the pride those students and current students
feel today.
The paws
directly connected with me the moment I saw them. They struck my pathos as a
Penn State student. The paws represent much as the Nittany Lion Shrine does:
pride, strength, power, unity, spirit, and respect. The claim that these paws display is just that. These paws are like a hidden gem of Penn State for they show the pride this community has.
Awesome idea writing about the paws! I didn't even think of that but they are such an iconic aspect of our school and say so much about our pride as penn staters. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jordan that using the paws was a great idea! A lot of people walk by them and don't even realize that they're just as much a part of the museum as the paintings and sculptures inside. You described the pathos perfectly since I'm pretty sure all Penn Staters feel that way when they see the massive paws outside THEIR museum. Your post was fun to read since you chose such a unique piece, good job!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that you decided to write about The Paws at the Palmer. I spent so much time looking at all of the pieces inside the museum that I didn't even think to appreciate the art outside! I agree with you that the piece symbolizes the pride that Penn Staters should feel for their school. The paws are so massive in size that they emanate power and strength. With all of the tough times that we are facing as a community, we need small reminders like this piece that things will get better. Thanks for pointing out something so interesting, but so easy to overlook!
ReplyDeleteLove your idea to write about the paws, I did not even consider them to be a part of the museum. It is interesting that the paws were gifts from the Lion’s Paw Alumni Association and Senior Society. The paws represent Penn State and show the unity of the school.
ReplyDelete