10 Must-See Works of Art on Campus

10 Must-See Works of Art on Campus

by Emily Stearney

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1. Left Sided Angel by Stephen De Staebler Type: Sculpture Location: Outside Parks Library’s Entrance Medium: Cast bronze

2. Untitled by Mickalene Thomas Type: Mural Location: Geoffroy Hall Medium: Multimedia Photo Courtesy: Melanie Van Horn/Iowa State Daily

3. E+l+e+m+e+n+t+a+l by Norie Sato Type: Sculpture Location: Hach Hall Medium: Glass, aluminum, LED lighting

4. Breaking the Prairie Sod by Grant Wood Type: Painting Location: Parks Library Medium: Oil on canvas

5. The Fifth Muse by Norie Sato Type: Sculpture Location: Marston Hall’s East stairwell Medium: Stainless steel and mixed media Photo courtesy: Dan McLanahan

6. The Silver Code by Ryokichi Mukai Type: Tapestry curtain Location: C.Y. Stephen’s Auditorium Medium: Spun rayon, nylon, polyvinyl chloride film, and polyester film

7. Floating World by Ralph Helmick Type: Sculpture Location: Biorenewables Complex Medium: Powder-coated steel, terrazzo, and bronze

8. Forward by William King Type: Sculpture Location: Elizabeth and Byron Anderson Sculpture Garden, across the street from The Hub Medium: Aluminum

9. Gene Pool by Andrew Leicester Type: Mosaic Location: Atrium of the Molecular Biology Building Medium: Ceramic tile

10. Escalieta I by Manuel Neri* Type: Sculpture Location: Gerdin Business Building’s first floor hallway Medium: Ordinario marble

Winter isn’t the best time of year to get adventurous, especially as a college student who’s already drowning in homework. Snow and ice can make travel difficult if you have a car, but if you don’t have a car, it’s even more difficult! Ames is a great place this time of year if you enjoy winter sports like sledding and ice skating. However, if sliding around on the cold, wet ground isn’t your thing, your options for outdoor activities are pretty limited. Going out to eat is always fun -- especially with a wide variety of restaurants just south of campus -- but it’s easy to overspend.

The bad news? It’s only February.

The good news? Iowa State has over 2,000 works of Art on Campus for students to enjoy before or after walking to class (sometimes even during class, like the Youssef Asar murals hung in 0125 Kildee Hall)!

University Museums houses art of every size, shape, and medium, around campus in buildings and outdoor sites as well as in three museums. The Brunnier Art Museum, located in 295 Scheman Building (currently closed for office, storage, and entrance renovations); the Christian Petersen Art Museum, located in 1017 Morrill Hall and also home of the new ReACT Gallery in 0003 Morrill Hall; and lastly the Farm House Museum, located on Central Campus at 601 Farm House Lane. Each museum is 100% free for students and the public. But that’s not all -- art is available all throughout campus in lecture halls, dormitories, dining halls, outdoor courtyards, and even the architecture of some buildings. University Museums’ Art on Campus Collection, like its Permanent Collection, spans a variety of mediums and locations, all of which are free and accessible any day of the week, any hour of the day.

If you’re bored, have an hour to kill before class or a meeting, need something to do when Mom and Dad visit, or simply want to find more art on campus, check out these 10 must-see works of art -- without spending any money or leaving campus! ☺