Soaring Through The Library

Written by Jason Galak

Every Baruch College student knows that the place to be during their scheduled three-hour gap is the William and Anita Newman library. The library is where students of Baruch have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge in a quiet setting especially during midterm and finals week. For a building that is an automatic go-to for students, the goal is to make it as presentable as possible for the educational experience. Baruch College’s Sidney Mishkin Gallery presents the monumental work of Charlie Kaplan, Soaring, to the Newman Library. This has brought the library of Baruch a sense of art and creativity in addition to their critically acclaimed business setting.

William and Anita Newman Library Information and Technology Building

Charlie Kaplan has various pieces of artwork featured at Baruch College. However, this is only the continuation of the success that Kaplan has achieved in the art of sculpting. He began by devoting his time to welding, blacksmithing, and working with clay, prior to being introduced to marble. It was in Pietrasanta, Italy where he developed his knowledge of the wide variety of marble, as well as sharpening his skills in bronze casting. Kaplan’s journey to sculpting began with his profound interest in working with traditional hand tools. This led to his first creation being made from an old piece of abandoned Douglas Fir with a set of brand-new chisels. Following his retirement from his family’s business in 2006, Kaplan has now fully devoted his heart and soul to sculpting. To this day, he has several works featured in both the United States and in Pietrasanta, Italy.

What is particularly unique about Kaplan’s sculptures is the attention to craft, detail, rhythm, and form. He takes his time to “listen to the stone.” Kaplan emphasizes, “The process is sort of like a dance.” First, he begins with a rock rather than a cube of marble. He smooths out the area and makes it into a pleasant curve that works for him. Then, he enlarges it to bring it all together in the end. Kaplan expresses his happiness more in the actual process than the finished product. 

“The process is sort of like a dance.”

One of Kaplan’s newer works, Soaring, has recently been placed in the Newman Library of Baruch right by the staircase on the second floor. The centerpiece is made out of Bianco Puro Carrara Marble. “Bianco Puro” translates from Italian to English “pure white.” The sculpture portrays a staggering one hundred eight inches of pure white marble “soaring” into the air, hence the name “Soaring.” This compliments the five generously large floors we have within the library. The gaps and openings of the sculpture allow the students to analyze the mathematical and international complications of the work itself. Although Charlie Kaplan isn’t there to explain the deeper meaning behind the creation of the sculpture, students proceed to view the sculpture from all angles with curiosity. 

It is not every day that we get an artist with such skill and precision to showcase his work at Baruch. Charlie Kaplan has several artworks at Baruch College’s Mishkin Gallery located at 135 E. 22nd Street in Manhattan. Students can now take their time to analyze the beauty and structure of Charlie Kaplan’s monumental work prior to soaring up the stairs to get their studying done.