Alumni add artistic dimension to New Jersey commuters' daily trek

One of the nation's largest commuter hubs now features the work of two KU alumni artists. Inside the New Jersey Transit 7th Avenue Concourse, opened in September in Penn Station New York, travelers can view the whimsical sculpture of George Greenamyer, g'69, and the marble etchings of Larry Kirkland, g'74.

Greenamyer, who lives in Marshfield, Mass., and Kirkland, who livesin Washington, D.C., share the joint commission as well as their KU's master's degrees, but the two employ wildly different styles.

Greenamyer, who lived in New Jersey for 10 years, sculpted figures of forged steel and painted them with colorful industrial enamels. The New Jersey characters in the tableau include the mythical New Jersey Devil, Mr. Peanut, Miss America and Molly Pitcher (Mary Hays McCauley), who brought water to Revolutionary War soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. Greenamyer says he finds inspiration in structural engineering, Shaker furniture, folk art, Jules Verne and Yankee tinkering. His other public works are on display at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, the Maumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis and airports in Atlantic City and Charlotte, N.C.

Kirkland, whose work reflects his study of ancient Greece and Rome, created etched-marble scenes from throughout New Jersey, accompanied by the words of poets who lived and worked in the state, including Amiri Baraka/Leroi Jones and William Carlos Williams. Kirkland, a veteran of 200 public commissions whose first work was for a Chinese restaurant in Portland, Ore., says he often uses text in his designs because "it is another way for a visitor or the public to participate in the work. Purely visual pieces can be intimidating, and our reaction might be negative because we don't understand it. By incorporating text we have an added layer to reach out to the public."

Kirkland's commissions include works for the Lloyd Center and Oregon Health Sciences University, both in Portland, Ore.; an entrance gate for Rutgers University in Camden, N.J.; and Santa Rosa Plaza in Santa Rosa, Calif. He is currently completing a project for the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C.

The New Jersey Transit 7th Street Concourse is a $125 million addition to one of the nation's busiest transportation centers. Penn Station New York is the arrival or destination for more than 115,000 average weekday trips for New Jersey rail passengers alone.

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