One year after being blocked from view for a few minutes, the sun shone brightly over Morris Library on SIU's campus. Several dozen people gathered outside for the dedication of a large sculpture by Jack Nawrot. The piece was inspired by last year's total solar eclipse that traveled across southern Illinois. Robert Lopez, SIU associate dean in the college of arts and media and a professor of design, worked with Narwot to bring the piece to the university, "It's a piece that not only captures a moment in time, but the enduring creative spirit of the SIU community."
Nawrot is a retired scientist from SIU. After he retired, he began blacksmithing classes and has been creating since. This wasn't his first attempt at making art for an eclipse. He had plans for the one that passed over in 2017, "I saw the eclipse at home and I thought why don't I do something with my little bit of metalsmithing skills? I sketched out garden benches for my wife with eclipse motifs in them. But it never got done."
Lopez looks back and explains how the sculpture captured the event, "This work, 'Art in the Dark', stands as a striking tribute to the 2024 total solar eclipse and the sense of wonder that it inspired. It's crafted from stainless steel and iron. The sculpture reflects his ability to capture scientific insight with artistic expression."
Nawrot said he planned ahead and got the work done in time for 2024. He created two versions of the sculpture. One he gave to the university to display. The sculpture was placed in front of the Morris Library. The other sculpture he raffled away prior to last year's events on campus for the eclipse. His goal was to bring recognition to the blacksmithing program and to raise funds for the work they do, "This time I laid back and said there's bigger things happening. There's an eclipse. We've got thousands of people coming. This is an opportunity to sell and raise money for students. I think overall it was great."
If you go, the sculpture was designed to be viewed from 10-12 feet away and see the eclipse as it moved across the sky. There are coordinates on the base to help you find where the eclipse started, hit totality, and where it ended.
