The Way West, 2007
John Buck
American
Bronze
American
Bronze
Texas Tech University
Gordon Hall
SW corner of Gordon Residence Hall
The female form central to this composition does not portray an individual; instead, the figure honors the collective strength of women engaged with higher education. A group of symbols that rise above the figure’s shoulders emphasize the workings of her mind rather than her physical features. A linear element softly zigzags as it stretches skyward, similar to a rugged mountain trail. This line serves to lead the eye to four separate symbolic forms representing core concepts of both life and learning: a lattice-like structure reminiscent of a DNA, a series of architectural orbs and cones, a flickering form illuminating the way to knowledge, and, at the apex, an eye-like sphere seeking undiscovered paths.