Focus on this artwork and explain the Description.
The alcove area at Joseph T. Taylor Memorial Hall is bordered with vegetation and the ground is covered with mulch. A concrete bench is located nearby to the proper right of the sculpture. There is a plaque attached to a piece of wood to the proper right of the sculpture reading "Derek Chalfant, Mother's Helper, Herron School of Art." The sculpture is placed on a concrete base measuring 9' long, 4' wide and 1" thick.
The sculpture consists of two main parts:The first part is a stainless steel base in the form of a large cross. The cross is 8' long, 3' wide and 1' tall. In the center of the cross, a small bronze infant measuring 10" long, 6" wide and 4" tall, is curled in the fetal position and facing proper left. The crown of the head of the infant rests against the spine of a bronze dictionary measuring 9.5" long, 7" wide and 2" thick. The cross is bolted to the concrete in three places with a total of nine bolts.
The second part is a stainless steel highchair with elongated legs that terminate in rockers. The rockers run along the outer edges of the longer portion of the cross and extend to the cross's terminal end.According to Chalfant, "the high chair represents nutrients needed for life, the rocker symbolizes rest and nuturing, [sic] the baby with its head on the dictionary represents knowledge, and the cross is a symbol of spirituality—all ingredients needed for human growth."
bronze sculpture steel Herron School of Art Derek Chalfant