New Additions Sculpt North Campus

North Campus is the new home to 79 sculptures and drawings by world renowned artist Alfredo Halegua.

The donation from Halegua, and his wife Raquel Halegua makes up the second phase of the Miami International Sculpture Park at Miami Dade College’s North Campus.

An inauguration ceremony was held on Nov. 10.

“The artists have given the two largest donations of campus history, and we are very proud of their support,” said José A. Vicente, president at the North and West Campuses. “They have created an opportunity for students to further appreciate art as they walk through the terrain of the campus.”

The first phase of the Miami International Sculpture Park includes 14 monumental sculptures, also donated by Haleguas, which are found in various locations at North Campus.

The sculptures making up the second phase are displayed in front of the library in building two and is the largest collection of art donated to Miami Dade College.

Some of the artwork included:  “The Dancer,” which features a figure of a person crouched with one leg over the other ready to spring up and dance if one were to give it life; “Penelope,” a shimmering golden sculpture, which embodies a woman; and “Broken Column,” which features a column broken in fragments but still held upright.

“It’s hard to say which is my favorite piece, when I’m working on a specific piece it is my favorite, the ones I don’t like I destroy, it simplifies the process,” said Halegua, who has had pieces featured in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

Juan C. Mendieta, communications director for MDC, feels that Halegua’s art offers something beyond the College’s hallways.

“This was an important event, not only for MDC, but for the entire community,” Mendieta said. “The North Campus is now the heart of culture in northern Miami-Dade County.”