A gift from the Class of 1996 reminds students to choose their own path in life.
By Robyn Rime
Part of an ongoing feature highlighting some of the unusual, intriguing, and often unique art and artifacts in Geneseo’s Special Collections and across campus.
Paths to Greatness Sculpture, 1998
Tucked into the courtyard between Welles Hall and South Hall is the stone and metal sculpture Paths to Greatness by artist William Baran-Mickle. The piece was a gift from the Class of 1996, commissioned with funds raised during their Senior Challenge. Originally installed in front of the Milne Library in August 1998, the sculpture was later moved inside the library and finally to where it now stands.
Students in the ’90s had a lukewarm response to the piece. The Lamron quoted one as saying it looked like “incomplete electrical wiring”; another said it resembled “the arms of hell reaching out and warning us not to enter the library.”
A closer—and more intentional—examination reveals a sculpture heavy with symbolism. Four arching metal arms represent the original educational disciplines of early universities: humanities, sciences, religion, and philosophy. Each arch is engraved with names, words, and phrases specific to its discipline. The arches are based on blocks representing the four basic elements of earth, fire, air, and water.
The sculpture’s center contains a firepit with metal rods representing smoke wafting upward. It’s intended to evoke a shared experience, much like sitting around a campfire. The seven smoke elements, each ending in an arrow, point the students on their way and encourage them to think about the future. Native American philosophy cautions us to make decisions and take actions that will do no harm for seven generations.
The sculpture’s depiction of a student’s journey through their college experience is more than symbolic—it’s also literal. Brass footprints stride around the stone base of the sculpture. The words circling the base are intended to both comfort and inspire: MANY HAVE GONE BEFORE YOU, BUT NO ONE CAN CHOOSE YOUR PATH.
According to the artist, the piece invites viewer participation: “An individual may stand on the pair of footprints on the base of the sculpture, open their arms, and embrace the enormity of the choices life offers,” he said. “It’s very much a student piece. It has to do with how you step up to life once you are away from home. You are dealing with all the elements around you at once, in a way you may never have done before.”