UNCP artist’s work featured in Lumberton

By Susan Walley
Senior Staff Writer

Photo by Abbigail Overfelt Professor Adam Walls has works displayed throughout downtown Lumberton, from the plaza by the old Water Plant on Water Street, at the Bill Sapp Center on 11th and Cedar streets and at City Hall on 5th and Cedar Street. Walls also has works displayed on campus, such as the one above in front of the art building.

The bright, fantasy like sculptures of UNCP professor Adam Walls have taken to the streets of downtown Lumberton, making for the city’s first ever public arts display.

The campus community may remember Walls’s work, which popped up on campus last semester. His large steel fabricated structures lend themselves well to interaction.

Walls describes some of his work as being “akin to playground equipment” in the manner in which it invites the viewer in to tangibly enjoy his work.

Walls said that his work has an obvious background in fantasy, but as playful as they appear, they resonate on a deeper psychological level.

He explained that his work is influenced by a sense of escapism as well.

While some of his work is left rusted and not made for interaction, Walls explained that there is a lot of satisfaction in seeing the painted works being played on and explored.

He added that many of these works are not only interactive, but toy based in some way.

Walls’s sculptures began going up around downtown Lumberton about a month ago, and the exhibit will continue to grow and be on display for the next year.

The show will consist of 12 large outdoor structures, which he explained will be concentrated around the downtown area. When this exhibit ends, Walls said he hopes a new exhibit will be installed to include student work among professional work.

Walls explained that he had hoped to become “more a part of the community.”

He saw displaying his works that would otherwise be sitting in storage in a public art show as an opportunity for such involvement, while still being able to rotate works in and out as he needs.

Walls has been working with steel sculptures for six years now. Earlier, he was a potter and a painter.