Tom Loughlin ’83

The recently revealed public art piece “Signal” on San Francisco Bay pays tribute to the demolished east span of the Bay Bridge. Following an earthquake that called for reconstruction of the east span, steel remnants of the old section of Bay Bridge were distributed to local artists to be used for various projects. “Signal” is the third such project to be revealed and the work of class of ’83 alumnus Tom Loughlin. Loughlin grew up in St. Louis, MO prior to coming to Exeter. His father, also an Exeter alumnus, often told stories of his time at Exeter. “I inherited propaganda from my dad who had a great time there and I wanted to go [to Exeter] to see what it was all about,” Loughlin explained. At Exeter, Loughlin was not as much of an artist as he was a rower. Loughlin had never rowed before coming to Exeter, but he picked up the sport his prep year. He continued through high school and into college as a member of the Dartmouth University men’s crew team. Loughlin even spent time after college to represent the United States at the 1996 Rowing World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.Loughlin credited his Exeter coach, David Zwift, for helping him find his passion for rowing, and, later, a career in art. “[Zwift] was, in some ways, the first person at Exeter who made me feel like I can be good at something I had never done before, something I never knew I would be good at.” he said. “He helped me accomplish what I was able to accomplish in the sport of rowing but also he made me believe that I have talents beyond… the classroom.”After college and a career in rowing, Loughlin went to law school at the University of California, Berkeley, and worked as a lawyer for several years. However, he felt unfulfilled with his career choice. “My path to law school was just feeling like I wasn’t sure what options were there for an English major and law school seemed safe,” he said. “It took me a lot of years to realize that that wasn’t the right fit for me.”Loughlin quit his job in 2006 and traveled to Iran, a place he remembered studying in his Middle Eastern history class at Exeter. He took photos of his travels and arranged them onto silk sheets, which he brought to his next reunion. “If I hadn’t studied Iran [at Exeter], I don’t know if I would have made it,” he said.From then on, as he searched for a new path to explore, Loughlin was drawn to art. “I got interested in intuitive and irrational ways of thinking. Art was an outlet for me to do that,” he said. He enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute, a place that he felt gave him the space to think intuitively rather than with logic and reason as he had during his prior education.Loughlin took a specific interest in sculpting, which he believes allows larger space for creativity.  “Sculpture is a form and the only rule is that it has to succeed on its own terms and it seems like there is a zone of pervasion there that I really appreciate.”A piece of “Signal” consists of a sound portion. “The sound pieces are hard for people to appreciate unless they see them in person. I had several TV and radio crews who wanted to record the sound, but I kept telling them that you can’t reproduce the sound on people’s TV speakers,” Loughlin said. “I am more interested, as an artist, in engaging the general public more than making art for people who go to galleries.” Notably, he attributes this aspect of the sculpture, involving resonant frequencies, to his class with former Instructor in Physics Charles Compton. “I’m glad I was paying attention in class that day,” Loughlin reflected.Former Wentworth dormmate and friend, Mike Moon ’83, never knew about Loughlin’s talent in art during their time together at Exeter, but has been supportive of every step Loughlin takes—whether rowing, law school or art. “I am a firm believer in doing whatever you want to do, but … you have to do it to your fullest,” he said. “Tom really embodies that.”David Folkenflik ’83, another dormmate of Loughlin, praised “Signal,” highlighting Loughlin’s ability to take the parts of familiar infrastructure and create a new piece of artwork that people could enjoy. “[Loughlin] took an iconic San Francisco fixture’s discarded pieces and refashioned it,” he said. Folkenflik also recalled Loughlin’s breakthrough piece that he brought to the reunion. “He wanted to create affinity and force Americans and others to confront their assumptions and not make a general assessment,” he said. “He forced people to challenge their assumptions through reflective assessment. That is a theme of his work.”Moon commended Loughlin’s lifestyle. “He is living his own life to the fullest and I find that quite admirable.”