On October 11 at noon, Pomona's new Art on Campus program will be inaugurated in the Forum of the Smith Campus Center with the presentation of Full o' Stuff: An Acoustic Sculpture, by alumnus Michael Brewster '68. The program, initiated through an endowment by Merrill Francis '54, will bring temporary art installations to public spaces on campus each year.

The program seeks to better facilitate the bringing of art to campus. Temporary installations were chosen over permanent purchases because of the increased opportunity for student involvement. According to Director of Montgomery Gallery Marjorie Harth, art will be "interpreted broadly," with the main parameters being that it be done by a professional artist, placed in a public place, and require student involvement.

Brewster, an internationally known "sound sculptor," was chosen to do the installation because of his reputation, skill, and interest. The committee wanted a "prominent artist with a recognizable name," said Harth. A teacher at Claremont Graduate Univeersity, Brewster was also someone who would work well with students and was willing to work on campus for a small budget. "We thought that it would be good to launch the program with something a bit eccentric, another way of looking at what art can be that is intriguing and valid," Harth said.Ê She noted that the committee would be interested to hear student responses.

In preparing his piece, Brewster has been aided by students from installation, sculpture, music, and ID1 classes. At the beginning of the year, he delivered a lecture on his work in acoustic sculpture to a few studio art classes and the Physics of Music class.

Brewster began to work with sound in 1971, after having become frustrated with the limitations of traditional sculpture. He saw sound sculpture as a way to create a more full artistic experience. Although he is not the only artist working with sound, he is an innovator in the field of acoustic sculpture.

Brewster writes, "Sculpture should be a category of Experience, not just a category of physical objects for us to Ôstand back and behold.' Sustained sound gives me a way to actually press the object of attention around the viewer in a way that does not restrict their presence or movement, while locating, dislocating, and relocating their awareness of the place they occupy." People, Brewster contends, often view a space differently when they experience it through sound. Brewster's piece will be composed of a mix of six pure tones, each with a wavelength between 4.5 and 5.5 feet.Ê "I tend to think of tones in terms of size, more than tonality," said Brewster. It has been recorded onto a homemade CD and will be played by a CD player encased in a 42" by 12" column. Viewers will be able to activate the piece by pushing a button; it will then play for 3 minutes. The Campus Center was chosen for the location because it is new, and acts as a "crossroads on campus," said Harth. The committee felt that it would therefore be a "good place to inaugurate the program." The title of the piece, Full o' Stuff, refers to "the physical phenomena of the sound," said Brewster. It varies throughout the space, "louder in some places, and seeming denser, and fluttering in others," he said. "Stuff" refers to essences, such as that of the sound, or space.

The presentation, taking place on Founders Day, will begin with a brief, informal talk given by Brewster. It will take place outside of the Campus Center Ballroom, where the piece will be installed. An informal lunch will follow in the dining hall, during which students will have the opportunity to speak with the artist.