Artwork copyright Nancy Mee. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Nancy Mee. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Nancy Mee. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Nancy Mee. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Nancy Mee. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Nancy Mee. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Nancy Mee. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Seven Liberal Arts, 1998

Nancy Mee
(American, born 1951)

Location: Pierce College - Puyallup, Puyallup

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The Seven Liberal Arts is a seven-part artwork by artist Nancy Mee. Each part references one of the Liberal Arts, which date back to the Roman Empire (approximately 27 BC - 476 AD). The seven Liberal Arts are: Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Music, Geometry, and Astronomy. Throughout history, artists have represented the Liberal Arts in many ways, using imagery and symbols.

Mee's contemporary interpretation of the Liberal Arts features photo images sandblasted into glass sculptures. They suggest strength and fragility, permanence and illusion. They also honor human thought and compassion. She notes that the images "represent the multiplicity of cultures which make up contemporary American society. Each personification will be represented holding an appropriate symbol which will signify their discipline." The seven sculptures are installed in the library of Pierce College's Puyallup campus in Western Washington.

Mee used real-life people to represent the seven liberal arts:

Rhetoric is 80-year-old Irvin Frankel’s pensive face. He is a retired engineer and community volunteer in Tacoma, who still loves a challenge.

Geometry is Kamal Jit. She is a recent immigrant from Punjab, India, living in Puyallup and studying English and keyboarding for a bank teller career.

Mathematics is Sandra Wong­MacPherson, modern and ancient. She is elegant and classical in a Mandarin-collared, embroidered dress. Holding an abacus, she stands next to a logarithmic table etched in glass.

Logic is Rick MacPherson, a left-brain IT professional who can find art ideas difficult. He holds a glass ball and portrays a Northern European immigrant in a Glen plaid shirt from his Irish-Scottish background.

Grammar is Leo Garcia Castro, a bilingual Mexican immigrant. He is Mee’s local sanitation worker and wears his work uniform, posing with two of his children. Cast glass books lie at their feet, the foundation of learning and thought.

Astronomy is Connie McCloud, a member of the Puyallup Tribe, representing our connection with the heavens, earth, and water. She has spent most of her adult life working for them as a Women's Health Care Specialist and Cultural Coordinator.

Music is Evelyn Jones, a secretary at Pierce College, cast in a harp-shaped slab of green glass. She wears an African robe and holds a drum.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Pierce College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Seattle-based artist Nancy Mee creates sculptures in a variety of materials, including glass, welded and forged steel, bronze, stone, and photography. Her art often reinterprets European classical themes and stories.

Born in Oakland, California, Nancy Mee earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from the University of Washington in Seattle. Her 1984 artist residency at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Northwestern Washington greatly influenced her art. She experimented with fusing and slumping glass, which led her to new forms and larger creations. Her art is in many collections, including Tacoma Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, and the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California.