An Ohio University alumnus is petitioning the university to remove a 40-year-old decorative brick wall sitting next to Seigfred Hall — arguing the “ugly” wall has lost its meaning.
And he should know — he built it.
John Spofforth, who graduated from OU in 1962, built the sculpture in 1968 behind Seigfred, which houses the School of Art. Now, though, he says his sculpture hasn’t been properly maintained and should be torn down.
“It has been completely ignored and degraded,” he said. “It’s time for the thing to go.”
But Chuck McWeeny, dean of the College of Fine Arts, says removing the wall isn’t within his power, even if he wanted to.
“It’s been here for almost as long as the building,” McWeeny said. “It is the university’s work. It’s their decision.”
The sculpture, a wavy brick wall, flows near the lower door by the ceramics department. The wall, which Spofforth dubbed the “Casual Wall,” relaxes against Seigfred Hall.
“This was a pure stimulation of imagination,” said Spofforth, a long-time Athens resident, “which is, of course, what the College of Fine Arts is all about.”
Spofforth undertook the project in the summer of 1968, right after he earned his master’s in fine arts from OU.
The artist originally intended the installation to conceal the ceramic materials that were discarded outside the department’s doors. He jokingly referred to it as his “trash wall.”
This is the only work that Spofforth has done on OU’s campus. A brick structure similar to the Casual Wall can be found close to home at the Unitarian Fellowship of Athens, 184 Longview Heights Rd.
Spofforth has installed other works throughout the country. He has constructed fireplaces, chimneys and sculptures from Oregon to Alabama. In 1981, his works were displayed in the National Museum of American Arts.
The OU alumnus said he wants to destroy his own art because of a lack of maintenance.
During the past 10 years, he said, the Casual Wall has survived spray paint, urine and gashes.
Spofforth, who would like to see the wall completely removed and the site scraped clean, said he is planning to create two new pieces to enhance the building.
He would like to recruit students to help build a new sculpture where the Casual Wall now stands.
On the other side of Seigfred, he said he wants to build a “Nordic-style scaffold in a circle or oval.”
“A hole is dished-out, and the debris and ready-mix concrete are poured into the foundation and around and over to finish the shape in a ball, eye or breast shape,” Spofforth said.
At age 80, he said he is still up for the challenge.
Kenneth Dobo, a third-year graduate student studying media arts and studies, is writing a thesis about Spofforth’s life and art.
“He plans to abolish the sculpture wall and create a spiral in the ground with rock coils,” Dobo said. “He views it as a portal to another dimension.”
Dobo has known Spofforth for more than 20 years and said he has mixed feelings about destroying the wall.
“It would be neat to see it become a different sculpture,” Dobo said. “On the other hand, the sculpture has been there for a long time. It is a part of that era.”
Multiple faculty members in the School of Art did not respond to requests for comment regarding the wall and its removal.
Some art students use the wall as a hangout spot and don’t want to see it removed.
“Why does he want to take it down?” said Mark Ingram, a senior studying sculpture. “It’s such an interesting piece.”
However, others said they think the wall is becoming unnecessary.
“I’m here every day; it’s hard not to notice it,” said Paige Wright, a third-year graduate student studying ceramics. “It’s very dated. … It just doesn’t do anything anymore.”
Spofforth said he believes the spot should hold some type of art, whether it is the Casual Wall or a new piece.
“Casual Wall lives on,” he said. “Art never fades; it is manifested by the imagination.”
ao530410@ohiou.edu
