Wilson College is now home to two artisan-made wind-driven kinetic sculptures, thanks to the generosity of Jim and Amy Neilson Clapp ’75 and Bob and Betsy Collmus Fisher ’75. Kinetic sculptures interact with nature to  create movement and enhance the beauty of the artwork.

Both sculptures were recently on display at the Carroll Creek Kinetic Art Promenade in Frederick, Maryland. Launched in 2020, the promenade hosts artwork from regional artisans and encouraged local individuals and organizations to sponsor the creation process and subsequently own the resulting artwork.

The first sculpture is a piece titled “Orbital Dance,” sponsored by the Clapps and created by Erin Aylor in 2021. Featuring ten 24-inch-tall water dancers, created from various metals in a variety of colors and textures, circling in unison to celebrate spring and new beginnings under an orbiting solar system. The kinetic sculpture, eight feet high and six feet wide, now stands in the flower bed between Norland and Thomson Halls. Aylor is a traditional full-time artisan from Myersville, Maryland, who specializes in sculpture and knife work.

The second sculpture, “Together As One,” a 2022 creation by Thomas Sterner, was sponsored by the Fishers. This 12-foot, tri-dimensional stainless-steel sculpture includes over 130 fish, each 6 to 16 inches long, that combine to form one large fish with an iridescent gradient finish. Positioned near the pedestrian bridge entrance to the equestrian Center, the fish sculpture, in its new campus location, gives the impression of jumping into the Conococheague Creek. Sterner is a full-time artist and the founder of ART FACTORY, a studio in rural Maryland creating public art from concept to fabrication to installation.