Alumna’s art symbolizes CC’s mission, honors Lucy C. McDannel ’22

Frances Gillmore Pratt ’60 stands next to SYNERGY.

For the past 12 years, visitors to the Connecticut College campus who enter via the main gate are sure to notice of the bright blue sculpture standing tall between New London Hall and the F.W. Olin Science Center.

Its two graceful arcs point toward the sky and stand out against the stone campus buildings a round the piece — something its creator intended from the beginning.

But the sculpture, called SYNERGY, has a deeper symbolism that Frances Gillmore Pratt ’60 P’89 carefully embodied in physical form. Commissioned by CC in 1992, the sculpture was designed to reflect the heart of the College’s values and honor the spirit of Lucy C. McDannel ’22.

Last week, Pratt was on campus with a friend to visit with Charles Chu, professor emeritus of Chinese, and inspect the freshly re-painted sculpture. An emeritus trustee who celebrated her 45th reunion this year, she reflected on her relationship to the College.

SYNERGY stands in front of the F.W. Olin Science Center near the entrance to campus.

“Connecticut College was the making of me,” Pratt said. A fine arts major who concentrated on sculpture during her junior and senior years, she credits the College for helping her to build a solid foundation for her career as a sculptor. She specializes in site-specific designs on large and small scales.

SYNERGY reflects the energy and optimism found in all of Pratt’s work. Its pinnacle represents the levels of achievement in academics and personal growth towards which faculty help students strive, she says.

The 15-foot-high sculpture also honors McDannel, a friend Pratt admired for her accomplishments. McDannel was the first woman to graduate from Yale Law School in 1925 and made her career as a lawyer in her father’s New York City law firm. When McDannel moved back to New London after her retirement in 1968, she pursued an interest in art history, earning an M.A. in the subject from CC. The College has a professorship named in her honor.

“Throughout her life, Lucy constantly sought out challenges which she surmounted with energy, directness and a sense of grace and cheerfulness. She had great courage and took maximum advantage of her academic background and opportunities in the field of law,” Pratt wrote to the College in her statement of artistic purpose in December 1992. “SYNERGY seeks to mirror these qualities with its upward thrust, precise lines and vibrant color.”

Pratt purposely chose the color.

“Having spent four years here, I know there are many, many days when the weather is gray. And the campus buildings are gray,” she said. “I felt it was appropriate to choose Connecticut College blue, a bright, cheerful color.”

Pratt served on the CC Board of Trustees from 1974-1986. She was one of three recipients of the College Medal in 1986 and also received the Alumni Association Tribute Award that year. In 1991, she was inducted into the Connecticut College Athletic Hall of Fame for her involvement in the lacrosse program.