The “Evolve Piece” at Bucks County Community College is the first ceramic piece to be installed on Bucks’ sculpture walk, created by Wendy Liss; this abstract piece was added to the sculpture walk last Spring.

Clifford Eberly, exhibition associate at Bucks, began talks with Wendy Liss last Fall about creating a new sculpture to replace a loaned sculpture that the artist had recently removed. Eberly said, “I first learned of Wendy after coming across some of her work online.” Eberly had visited Liss at her studio to discuss creating a sculpture for the walk that would be a new permanent edition.

Liss had previously created a sculpture called “InLiquid” which was made in collaboration with the Friends of the Glen. Heavily inspired by nature and surroundings, Liss created this sculpture after being inspired by a tree trunk in the surrounding area where the artwork would be placed. After conversing with Eberly, Liss visited the Bucks campus and looked
at where her potential future sculpture would be placed. Liss then agreed to create a piece for the sculpture walk that would be a permanent edition.

Like her InLiquid sculpture, Liss was inspired by the area where her sculpture would be and the different vantage points that the piece could be seen from on campus. She began working on what would be known as the “Evolve” piece in the Fall of 2022.

Working very efficiently, Liss had finished the project in just six months, with the sculpture being installed on campus last Spring. “I learned a lot from Wendy,” Eberly said. “It was great to see her unique outlook.” The sculpture is on top of concrete and held in place by a bolt, assembled here on campus. The piece consists of a metal base with a steel ring on top. Steel was chosen for this base due to its ability to rust, allowing for the colors of the sculpture to change over time while simultaneously being able to withstand the elements. A ceramic orb-like piece is centered inside the steel ring, which was found in a scrap yard.

The attention to detail of this piece was prevalent in the sculpture. Draining holes were added to the orb of the sculpture to stop water from collecting under the ring of the sculpture which would erode it. The spatial awareness of the piece was also taken into consideration. “With the sculpture’s position, it can be seen a lot of ways at different angles by people walking or driving past,” Eberly said.

Since 2018, the sculpture walk has evolved heavily to where it is today. The walk currently boasts 33 pieces with some of the first being made by Stella Elkins Tyler who was part of the
Tyler family and lived in the home that is now Tyler Hall today. The sculpture walk has also seen a lot of art loaned to it by local artists which helped in the evolution of the walk.

Evolve can be seen 24/7 on campus. Tours of the sculpture walk are free and can be scheduled by emailing Clifford Eberly at [email protected].