BURLINGTON, VT (08/18/2010)(readMedia)-- A new sundial by Burlington sculptor Kate Pond and sundial designer Bill Gottesman was formally dedicated Friday, Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. as more than 50 members of the National Sundial Society looked on at Champlain College's new Roger H. Perry Hall and Student Welcome Center.

"While students might not be able to use it to always get to class on time, it is accurate and able to show the correct time both during daylight saving and standard time," explained Bill Gottesman, of Precision Sundial LLC, who worked with artist Pond on the design and siting of her 6 1/2-foot tall steel sundial on the west side of the newly restored historic 151-year-old brick mansion.

The dedication was one of eight stops the members of the 16th annual conference of the National Sundial Society had on their schedule for Friday. "This new sundial is beautiful in two ways," explained Roger Bailey of Sidney, British Columbia, a sundial enthusiast and creator himself. "It is artistic and it is correct. The mystery of the universe, time, and the sense of the relationship between the sun and the earth is all captured in the essence of this sundial."

The timely work of art was commissioned two years ago as restoration and construction work was about to begin the new student welcome center that houses Admission, Student Accounts, Financial Aid, International Studies. A grand opening of Perry Hall is planned for Sept. 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. The park-like green behind Perry Hall is open to the public year-round. A plaque adjacent to the sundial explains how it works.

The sundial is the second art installation on the Champlain College campus in the past year – a cast-bronze statue of French explorer Samuel de Champlain by Vermont sculptor James Sardonis was placed on the Rozendaal Courtyard near Alumni Auditorium as part of the states Lake Champlain Quadricentennial celebration in July 2009.

For more information about sundials, visit www.sundials.org.

Champlain College, located in the historic Hill Section of Burlington, Vt., was founded in 1878 and currently has nearly 2,000 undergraduate students. It offers multiple majors in Business, Communications and Creative Media, Education and Human Studies, and Information Technology and Sciences. U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" ranks Champlain College a #1 "Top Up-and-Coming" college. Champlain ranks in the top tier of the Best Regional Colleges (North). To learn more about undergraduate, graduate and online education programs offered at Champlain College, visit www.champlain.edu or call 800-570-5858.

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Posted Wednesday August 18, 2010 at 10:41 am by Champlain College
Last Updated Thursday August 26, 2010 at 11:10 am