Credit: Eric Ventura

Artist Clyde Lynds, center, works with a crew to erect his installation gracing the gateway to Rutgers–Camden. The two 10-foot-high and 60-foot- long walls of laminated, tempered glass and stainless steel will be illuminated at night for a striking effect.

The journey into places rife with potential can summon inspiration. So, when artist Clyde Lynds set out to design a new entranceway to the Camden Campus, he aimed for a structure that would ignite curiosity every day.

 “The Gateway” at Fourth and Cooper streets – two 10-foot-high and 60-foot- long walls of laminated, tempered glass and stainless steel – is at once breathtaking and thought-provoking. On September 10, Lynds and a crew of 20 began installing the 400-pound glass panels on steel I-beams that showcase hundreds of drawings of objects from nature and civilization, in their proudest and harshest moments. At night, all 23 panels will be illuminated, highlighting an additional sculpture made of concrete, fiber optics, and glass that presents its own surprising display of moving light.

The $1 million Gateway project transforms an underutilized asphalt street into a pedestrian-only green space, with benches for lingering. Symbolically, Lynds said, it serves as a transition space from the city to a place of learning.

“An entrance should make a strong, incisive statement because it creates the first impression that can build or deny expectations for what lies beyond it,” said Lynds, an accomplished sculptor with studios in New York and New Jersey. “The concept from the beginning was to engage the community with an open gesture of light and transparency. It was designed to interest everyone and to form a welcoming symbol for the campus."

Camden’s Interim Provost Margaret Marsh said the striking physical presence of the public artwork will enhance the beauty of the campus and neighborhood. “Our students choose Rutgers–Camden because of the exceptional caliber of our faculty,” Marsh said.  “The Gateway is just one component of our ongoing efforts to upgrade the campus grounds and facilities to more closely reflect the excellence of the teaching and research that occur here every day.”

More than 100 people were involved in the Gateway project, but the concept was conceived and driven by the Dean’s Leadership Council, a group of dedicated Rutgers– Camden alumni. More than defining an elegant entrance to the Camden Campus, the Gateway project garnered support of $4 million in endowments for the students, faculty, staff, and initiatives of the Rutgers–Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

“The Gateway project not only symbolizes our success and commitment to the university, but it is also a commitment to the university’s place in Camden and its embrace and outreach to the city,” said Ed Kiessling, an executive managing director at Frank Crystal & Company, who took a leadership role in the project.

Kiessling and other members of the Dean’s Leadership Council will gather for a ceremonial lighting of the Gateway at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 11. President Richard L. McCormick and Provost Marsh will speak at the event, which also will include remarks by Kwan Hui, a Rutgers–Camden undergraduate who benefited from the endowment funds raised in the Gateway campaign. Hui, who will graduate in May as a dual major in political science and urban studies, maintains a 4.0 grade-point average and serves as a student ambassador for the campus.

In addition to helping students like Kwan, Marsh said that “the inspirational use of the physical gateway as a fulcrum for the fundraising campaign has attracted new support for the research efforts of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and for the advancement of the institution. “

Lynds was selected for this project in 2004. According to The New York Times, Lynds “has long pursued an art that bridges the latest developments in technology and high esthetic refinement.” He has been working with fiber optics as a medium for nearly four decades; the use of glass is a newer venture for the artist.

Lynds’ work has been shown all over the world:  He’s done large-scale commissions for corporations and universities as well as city, state, and federal government projects in this country. The artwork and fountain for the New Jersey State Capital Plaza and a 60-foot tower and beacon for New Jersey Transit are examples of Lynds’ accomplishments.