January 12, 2026
Beth Lipman: Middle of the Story
Lyle & Nancy Campbell Gallery, through February 13, 2026
An exhibition of her studio work to celebrate new public art sculpture, Hive Mind, installed in April 2025.
Terra Cotta Conservation in the Art on Campus Collection
Neva M. Petersen Gallery, January 12, 2026 – July 24, 2026
Highlighting the innovative techniques for caring for public art installations in terra cotta, incorporating the original artist intent with state of the art scanning and replication technology that can be found right here on Iowa State’s campus.
Forms of Remembrance: The Unknown Political Prisoner
Reiman Gallery, through July 24, 2026
This exhibition examines the history and legacy of Christian Petersen’s monuments to the fallen, centering on his Unknown Political Prisoner maquette and related drawings and sculptures. Petersen’s entry was submitted to the 1952 international competition organized by the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, which sought to promote abstract sculpture as a symbol of democratic values and to commemorate those who had been imprisoned or killed in the struggle for human freedom. Though Petersen was not a pacifist—firmly supporting the American war efforts in both World War I and World War II—his later work reveals a profound shift. Influenced by an increasing spiritual awareness, he turned from patriotic celebration to the somber realities of war, emphasizing loss, mourning, and the enduring grief of those left behind. In the postwar years, Petersen developed numerous proposals for war memorials that honored and gave form to collective remembrance, though none were realized in his lifetime. This exhibition situates The Unknown Political Prisoner within that broader arc of his artistic development and within twentieth century American art, while also commemorating the installation of a newly carved version of the sculpture in the Anderson Sculpture Garden, created through a replication process by master stone carver Nicolas Fairplay.
