Students and faculty in Southeast Missouri State University’s art department spent the summer creating a gateway to the city and the River Campus in the form of a sculpture.

Art professor Chris Wubbena spearheaded a team of six sculpture students over the process of 10 weeks to create a sculpture near the Fountain Street roundabout. Entitled “Commence,” the artwork represents a gateway of sorts, both into the city of Cape Girardeau and the university.

“Commence” was funded through a joint effort between Mayor Harry Rediger and the City of Cape and Dr. Carlos Vargas and the university. It was important to them to have students make up the majority of the creative team.

Wubbena said the inspiration for the sculpture came about when considering the landscape where the sculpture would be placed.

“I started with the site, and I thought, ‘What is this place — how is this place gonna be seen?’” he said. “We’ve got this entrance to the city … from the bridge, but you also have, looking from the opposite way, an entrance to the university (at least the River Campus). I thought it would be nice to make this somewhat of a gateway.”

The sculpture consists of two mirrored pieces that open to create the effect of an entrance.

To undertake the task of creating the sculpture, Wubbena approached several of his students who possessed skills in metal fabrication and sculpture-making.

“I have a really good group of students,” he said. “My biggest issue was that I had more students than I had work for. I had to narrow it down to those who were farther along in sculpture … and who had the specific skills [of welding and grinding].”

Southeast students Jessica Lambert and Deanna Hoffman were among the six students who worked on the project, and both expressed the value of the learning experience this project provided them with.

Lambert, a sophomore sculpture student, said the experience taught her how to work at a large scale and become a better welder and fabricator.

“It opened new avenues for me,” she said. “I learned so much, and I got to do something I really, truly love.”

She also learned how to create large-scale projects and think about many more creative possibilities.

“With a little bit of help, you can create anything you want,” she said.

Hoffman, a fellow sculpture major, echoed Lambert’s sentiments, adding that she felt a sense of pride at being able to view the finished product.

“I learned to be precise with art in the process of making such a large sculpture,” Hoffman said. “I didn’t think I could do something like this at first, but I learned that it is possible. Being able to see [the sculpture] now is really cool.”

Wubbena hopes to give students and community members a visually appealing and thought-provoking piece.

“Throughout life, we’re always walking through these gateways,” he said. “You’re gonna have many throughout your life, and so I really wanted to make this piece that signified our different, important moments in life.”