Outdoor sculptures on all three Rutgers University campuses have become landmarks for the campus community and visitors: places to meet friends or colleagues; inspiration for reflection and conversation; backdrops for selfies and graduation photos. On College Avenue in New Brunswick, artist Patrick Strzelec’s new sculpture Past is Prologue creates a welcoming atmosphere on the front patio of the Zimmerli Art Museum on Hamilton Street, making art accessible to visitors and passersby, even when the museum is closed.

Known for his abstract sculptures, Sagittarius created a circuit of lines that rise from the ground and curl around each other in an endless flow. The 13-foot-tall piece is made of high-grade aluminum, which maintains strength and durability. It also does not rust, and a powder coat ensures that the surface remains in pristine condition. He designed the sculpture to provide inspiration for generations to come.

“Patrick Strzelec has created a beautiful evocation of thought that rises, twists, turns and expands into a powerful idea,” said Donna Gustafson, Zimmerli’s chief curator, who coordinated the project before retiring. “Patrick wanted to create a tribute to a class that saw the 1960s as a time of turbulent change. I think he has accomplished that.”

The project reflects the spirit of the Rutgers and Zimmerli communities in supporting the arts and culture, especially for the benefit of the general public. Tom Sokolowski, who served as Zimmerli director from 2017 to 2020, conceived the project in 2018. He invited Strzelec — who had been a faculty member for a decade at the Mason Gross School of the Arts before retiring in 2020 — to present ideas for a patio sculpture to the museum’s committee and the class of 1965, which funded the commission.

The shooter wanted to design “a memorial that is a song to the class of 1965. It is to reflect their magic, their trajectory, their innocence, their zeal for goodness, so that it may live with us—and on this campus—forever.” The sculpture is intended to represent the curvature of the circle of history. The linear cluster is a continuous line, 240 feet long, that never intersects but meets at strategic points: a deconstruction of the circle. The line establishes dialogues of history and

individual efforts that together create movement and growth. It also captures the importance of gaining insight into the past, especially to avoid repeating harmful cycles. The aerial structure that explodes into the sky encourages hope and optimism.

Past is Prologue is Zimmerli’s second outdoor sculpture at the museum, joining George Segal’s Walking Man, which was installed in 2015 on the northwest corner of George and Hamilton streets by the Class of 1950 for their 65th reunion. Both works are open to the public at their convenience. The new sculpture is the fourth Rifleman to join Zimmerli’s collection, following Halo from 1991 and two untitled etchings from 1992.

The installation of Past is Prologue on the front terrace is an important part of the ongoing improvements to the building. In 2023, the terrace—adjacent to the museum’s main entrance—was renovated with picnic tables and seasonal planters to create a unique and relaxing place for outdoor dining or gatherings with friends and colleagues. The project is managed by Rutgers University Institutional Planning and Operations Project Services.

“We are thrilled to have fulfilled Tom Sokolowski’s wish to install this stunning sculpture on our front patio with the generous support of the Class of 1965. Patrick Strzelec’s The Past is Prologue is a remarkable new addition to the museum’s collection and an exciting installation at our main entrance that will be appreciated by all visitors to Zimmerli,” said Director Maura Reilly.

Patrick Strzelec lives and works in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He holds an MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts and, prior to his work at Rutgers, was the Rudolph Arnheim Lecturer in Sculpture at Harvard University. Some commissions include The Holocaust Museum, Washington, DC; Princeton, NJ; Berlin, Germany; Rutgers

University, Piscataway, NJ; and Dickenson College, Carlisle, PA. His work can be found in public and private collections in the United States and Europe.

In addition to receiving the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Educator Award in 2020, Strzelec has received awards from: the Rutgers Presidential Fellowship Award for teaching excellence; the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship; the Ballinskelligs Project in Ireland; the Rome Prize in Italy; the National Endowment for the Arts; numerous fellowships from the New Jersey State Council for the Arts; among others. He has exhibited at the Michael Schultz Gallery in Berlin; the Jay Grimm Gallery, Gary Snyder Fine Arts, and Barbara Toll Fine Arts in New York; and the OH&T Gallery in Boston.

Strzelec’s works have been presented at national and international exhibitions, and his solo exhibitions have been held at the Michael Schultz Gallery in Berlin (Germany), EKWC in Oisterwijk (Netherlands), the American Academy in Rome (Italy), Jay Grimm Gallery, Gary Snyder Fine Arts, Barbara Toll Fine Arts and Garth Greenan in New York, OH&T Gallery in Boston and Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton (New Jersey).

Selected group exhibitions include: American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York; Art Koln, Cologne, Germany; Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Miami Basel, Miami, Florida; and the Beth DeWoody Inaugural Exhibition at The Bunker, West Palm Beach, Florida.

ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM | RUTGERS

The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum houses more than 65,000 works of art, with a special focus on art from the Americas, European art, Russian and Soviet nonconformist art, and original illustrations for children’s literature. Its permanent collections span all media, from antiquity to the present, and are representative of the museum’s research and teaching at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, which is ranked among the highest, most diverse public research universities in America. Founded in 1766 as one of only nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution, Rutgers is the eighth-oldest institution of higher learning in the nation.

INFORMATION FOR VISITORS

Admission to the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers is free. The museum is located at 71 Hamilton Street (at George Street) on the College Avenue campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The Zimmerli is located near the NJ Transit train station in New Brunswick, halfway between New York City and Philadelphia.

The Zimmerli Art Museum is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, on major holidays, and in August.

For the latest information, including parking and accessibility, visit zimmerli.rutgers.edu.

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