Ruins V by Ernest Shaw

Three sculptures by Dr. Ernest Shaw dot the campus of UC Santa Barbara. The first one is located in front of the Physical Sciences North building, adjacent to the Chemistry Building, and facing the wide green expanse of the East Lawn. The sharp, angular metal sculpture contrasts with the classically styled Post-Modern building by Robert A.M. Stern. the art piece had previously been sited closer to the Library, but is now tucked away closer to the building.

Dr. Ernest Shaw is a self-taught sculptor, as well as a psychiatrist who practiced in Kingston, New York. He began sculpting in 1973, and this piece, Ruins V, was completed in 1978. Steel columns and curves are welded into complex configurations that integrate equilibrium and expansion. Developed in tandem with his interests in Buddhism, meditation, and mind/body therapies, Shaw's work reflects mindfulness and challenges habitual ways of perceiving.

Ruins V is 110 inches by 86 inches, red painted steel, and was a gift to the Museum collection in 1978 by Mr. and Mrs. Don L. Gevirtz. Accession number 1982.24.

Woods, Lyn. Armor & the Man, hv1. August 17th 2017. Accessed June 15th 2021. https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2017/08/17/armor-the-man/.

Shaw, Ernest. Accessed June 15th 2021. https://ernestshaw.net/artist-statement/.