This bust, by David T. Haussler, is a likeness
of William Rainey Harper, Harper College’s
namesake, first president of the University of Chicago and a founder
of the community college movement.
When the Harper art staff discusses the College’s sculpture
collection, they refer to the artwork by the name of the artist
such as “the Picasso” or “the Benton.” But
this work is referred by its subject: “the Harper Bust” or “the
Harper Portrait.” This difference illustrates a key shift
in the way public sculpture is viewed. In the past, most sculptures
in public places were commemorative like the statues of generals
on horseback in parks across the country. Such sculptures honored
a hero or civic leader or commemorated an event. The subject was
the primary issue, not the artist’s ideas or expressions.
Today, however, although sculpture still has a commemorative function,
its function has expanded. Now much public sculpture (including
the majority of work in the Harper collection) is looked at in
much the same way we look at art inside a gallery, and the works
reference other artworks and movements as much as any historical
event or person.
