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Jeopardy! champ Amy Schneider visits campus and runs a trivia game
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Volume 121, Issue 10
November 30, 2022
Ellie Stewart ‘24 discusses exclusive language applied to the Club Q shooting
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Theatre Department rings in the holiday season with Christmas at Pemberley
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All The Yowl wants for Chrismas is their reader’s joy ... and a new Apple Watch
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Patrick Dougherty’s Ephemeral Art Returns to Earth Bidding Farewell to the “Stick Sculpture” SOFIA B. CIMBALLA ‘26 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER
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he whimsical, woodsy, “stick sculpture,” more officially known as the “Common Ground” sculpture, will no longer occupy its space (situated between the library and Chambers) on campus when students return for the spring semester. Patrick Dougherty, an American environmental artist, designed the sculpture with ephemerality and impermanence at the forefront of his mind. The sculpture’s materials reflect his intention for the sculpture to exist as a work of art with a limited time period. From the very beginning, community was the foundation for the sculpture. Lia Newman, the director and curator of the Davidson College Van Every/Smith Art Galleries, explained the history of the sculpture’s creation. “We approached Marcy and Steve Sands ’68 about funding some short term, temporary projects. We weren’t sure which artists we would approach yet, or what we might commission, but the idea was to bring in something that would allow the community, students, faculty and staff to work together with an artist to build something. We knew it wouldn’t necessarily be here forever, but we could bring it here to say something specific in the moment,” said Newman. The assembly of the sculpture on campus involved the artist, Patrick Dougherty, his son Sam, and one-hundred plus community volunteers in different roles. It was unveiled on February 21, 2020, a few weeks before the college—and the entire world—plummeted into pandemic isolation. “I think in a lot of ways, it became even more important that we had this time together. It’s one of the last things that I remember about being on campus, that it was like 100-something volunteers working together for three weeks,” Newman reflected. Newman also explained how this art connected Davidson College and the Town of Davidson during the pandemic. “It became a little refuge for people. I had people all through the pandemic saying: ‘Before this, I didn’t come on campus that much. But now the campus feels really open to me, and it’s become sort of a community park, where I walk my dog or take my kids to play.’ And so I think it became very integrated into the community.” The space will take on a new meaning after the removal of the sculpture. Newman explained how this is a part of Dougherty’s artistic ethos: “This is the lifecycle of the work. It’s material that doesn’t last forever. It’s not bronze, it’s not steel.” Losing the piece represents a new cycle for Davidson’s
Sunset over the Common Ground Sculture on campus. Photo by Eli Naughton ‘26 campus, a physical representation of one more aspect of pandemic-era life that is no longer. “Common Ground” is part of a recent expansion and emphasis on the campus sculpture collection. Sarah Willoughby ‘25, a student intern at the Davidson College Van Every/Smith Art Galleries, explained, “The Davidson College Art Galleries have been putting a huge emphasis on the sculpture program in recent years [...] The sculptures are so essential to the campus. They add color beyond the traditional red brick that is the norm on campus, but also take art from out of the VAC across main street and diffuse them within the campus.” She also touched on her love of the “Common Ground” sculpture. “Contrasted to all of the other sculptures we have on campus, Common Ground is incredibly natural and organic
[. . .] It almost seems like another building on campus, but contrasts against the red brick and geometry of the other buildings on campus.” Before the sculpture is removed over winter break, the gallery interns are hoping to bid it farewell with a commemorative event on December 5 for Davidson’s community. Newman emphasized the importance of student interaction and involvement with art on Davidson’s campus: “We view students as being the owners and the ambassadors of these works.” Even if the sculpture will no longer physically exist, it leaves a legacy that reflects the capacity for art and nature to build community especially during challenging times.
To Vote or Not to Vote: An Overview of Student Midterm Turnout STELLA MACKLER ‘26 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER
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he 2022 midterm elections resulted in record youth voter turnout at the national level, with 27% of voters aged 18-29 voting. This statistic falls second only to the 2018 turnout, with 31% of voters aged 18-29 participating in the midterm elections. North Carolina has yet to release demographic voter data, which will reveal trends in voter age, among other characteristics. Despite the growing number of young people participating in elections across the country, the trend is less apparent in Davidson. Issac Bailey, the James K. Batten Professor of Public Policy, brought the topic into his classroom. “In class I was asking students whether or not they voted,” Bailey said. “In all of my classes it was actually a very small response.”
When asked what may have contributed to lower student turnout compared to 2018, Bailey’s initial response was straightforward. “Trump is no longer in office,” Bailey said. “Whether or not you love him or hate him, his presence has generated a lot of activity for young voters and older voters.” Jack Magner ‘23 is the president of the Center for Political Engagement, a student organization that “encourages responsible discourse and facilitates direct participation in the political process on Davidson’s campus.” He attributes possibly lower turnout to unintentionally poor planning from the college. “[Wildcat Weekend] was on the very last weekend of early voting,” Magner said. “That can definitely help students who need that ride from their parents, but also there’s so many things that you have to do, events to attend, that take away from your ability to vote.”
Magner noted how remnants of Davidson’s COVID policies have also affected students’ ability to register to vote. “When I was a freshman, everyone would go into a central location during freshman orientation to get their CatCard and then their mail key,” Magner said. “Then there would be a voter registration booth right next to that. So you could just get registered at your Davidson address as soon as you walked on campus. But this year, freshmen picked up their CatCard in their car as they got to campus, so it’s much more decentralized.” Changes in the district’s early voting and election day polling places may have also contributed to lower student participation in the 2022 midterms. “In 2020, it used to be that our Election Day voting location was Davidson Town Hall,” Magner said. “So, probably a 10 minute walk at most for students. Then I think two weeks before Election Day in 2020, it was switched to [Davidson’s] K-8 [School] which really is still not a crazy walk, but students
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