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I grew up as an Asian American woman in New York. I had to balance two
opposite cultures in my life. I was born in Hong Kong, but my
biological parents abandoned me and I lived in an orphanage.
Subsequently, I was adopted by an American family in
Uniondale, Long Island. I used my personal life experiences
in my art work when I studied art at Stony Brook for my
undergraduate degree (‘81) and Hunter College in New York
City for my MFA (Master of Fine Arts ’85).
My original design for the public art
walkway, now known as the Zebra Path, was a simple concept
of yin and yang. The object of my original theme was not to
paint the school colors for the walkway since at that time,
red and gray would have been extremely depressing colors.
The concept of yin and yang is to show how opposite things
in nature can coexist in harmony and balance. Black and
white colors are a universal concept of yin and yang.
The simple basic colors of black and white
are more vibrant than red and white. They are clean and
simple. We don’t need to add colors to feel the energy. In
fact, I think that black and white photographs have a unique
quality that photographs with colors don’t have.
Since the walkway was a very long, narrow
shape, I had to fit my idea of yin and yang by using
straight lines and repetition. Since the walkway is also on
an incline, the illusion of the straight lines changes
shapes as one walks up or down the path. In fact, the far
end of the walkway almost looks like a pattern of small
squares or a chess board. Later touch-ups have rounded the
edges of my original design and I hope the restoration of
colors also restores the sharp angles.
The Public Art course that I took at Stony
Brook with Prof. Mel Pekarsky in 1981 that led to the
creation of the Zebra Path was the most exciting,
challenging, and rewarding class that I have ever taken. I
never knew that my art work would affect so many people who
have attended Stony Brook. While I wish the budget cuts at
Stony Brook were not so devastating, it is wonderful to know
that to help save the department, Prof. Pekarsky was lured
out of retirement to teach again.
In addition, the metamorphosis of my public
art piece demonstrates that the art work is still alive
today; it is a daily process that becomes part of each
person’s experience as they walk along the path. I am
sure that everyone has a different experience even though
they may not be so conscious of it. Artists, photographers,
actors, and dancers would probably have a more visual
experience since they understand abstract concepts.
My master’s thesis and fine art work
continued to reflect the concept of yin and yang. I
currently teach ESL at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
in Florida. During my reading and writing class, I put up
both aerial photographs of the walkway, one in red and
white, the other in black and white, without letting my
students know I had anything to do with the path. We had an
interesting discussion about the meaning of the colors. Most
of my students are studying to become pilots and technical
engineers, so their observations are very analytical. I was
surprised when they understood my concept of yin and yang.
Some of my students thought that the red and white colors
represented a Christmas theme since it looked like a candy
cane lane. They thought it would be inappropriate to keep
those colors all year long.
I also want to mention that my public art
walkway is a unique piece of art work created by an alumna
of Stony Brook University. Most outdoor public art works are
large sculptures that are bought or commissioned by
professional artists. I am very proud to have left my
artistic legacy as an alumna at Stony Brook. I hope everyone
will keep it alive for years to come.
I really appreciate Rian Shah and the members of the
Student Government for all their efforts to have my public
art project restored and repainted to its original colors.
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Editor's Note: For the 50th
Anniversary of SBU, the path was painted in the school
colors of red and white. It was greeted with disdain by most
students. They chose the same derogatory nickname for it
that Kim's students in Florida chose - Candy Cane Lane.
Facebook groups arose to get it changed back, including one
by student Rian Shah. He then asked USG Senator
Craig McCarthy bring up a resolution to have the path
restored to its original colors. USG passed the resolution
unanimously. Shah then kept calling University Facilities
until he was finally
told that the path will be repainted in its original colors. Logically,
that will be done when the weather is warmer and at a time
when there are few students on campus using it. Hopefully
you will come back from spring break to see it done!
For its 30th
anniversary in 2011, Kim Hardiman plans to return to SB to
once again perform the Chinese ribbon dance on the Zebra
Path in
celebration.
Previous articles on Kim and the path can be found at
http://www.aaezine.org/articles/vol23/23N3ZebraPath.shtml
and
http://www.aaezine.org/articles/vol23/23N3KimHardiman.shtml
and
http://www.aaezine.org/articles/vol23/ZebraPathSBPress030510.pdf
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