Upon entering the Auraria Library these days, you will find yourself surrounded by a series of mechanisms. "Mechanisms to enter a new space," fittingly enough, is the theme of the sculpture exhibit currently on display near the library entryway.

The sculptures were created by Metro State students in Deborah Horner's Beginning and Intermediate Sculpture classes. For these pieces, students used steel and one of two welding techniques, either oxygen-acetylene or MIG (metal inert gas) welding. While steel is generally thought of as a very strong and rigid material, sculptural tools and the application of heat allow many possibilities in forming it, as reflected in the sculptures. A second theme of the exhibit is "Mechanisms which perform an imaginary function."

The sculptors are Melanie Gerhardt, Andrew Harris, Jason Kilpatrick, Timisha Milojevich, Aaron Quintanar and Brian Rendon. The exhibit is on display near the entryway and in the south courtyard of the library. It will end on June 21, 2005.