Groton ― Artist Cara Lynch was joined by her husband, James Illig, as she spent Thursday afternoon installing her two large sculptures on the grounds at the University Connecticut’s Avery Point campus.

Lynch, who is based on Long Island and in Nashville, has been creating large-scale public art and paintings for over a decade. The two weather vanes, “Dancer” and “Maximum Capacity,” however, are her first sculptures to be shown in an outdoor public space.

For both pieces, which move in the wind, she used casts of her own body, and “Dancer” also featured found aluminum.

“I had this idea to make something that would be myself split. What would I do if I was outside of my body? And how would I want to spend my time,” said Lynch.

She said the hands and arms of “Dancer” seem to pirouette in a heavy wind while the hands of “Maximum Capacity” spin on different planes at different speeds in a breeze.

The pieces are part of the school’s upcoming exhibition Open Air which will feature eight artists across the campus.

“We want to feature artists of all types,” said Jeanne Ciravolo, director of the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery and assistant professor-in-residence. “There are local artists and first-time artists, and I’m so excited about all of them.”

Two artists have already installed pieces and the rest will be completed before an opening reception on June 7. A closing reception in the fall will also feature are projected onto campus buildings.