Posted on April 29, 2019 at 4:45 PM by Betsy Grabinski
With the renovations to The Hub completed in January, the final part in the building's new look was the installation of art by Susan Chrysler White. The two-piece steel sculpture is titled Coalesce and is located on the exterior wall of the building near the west entrance. White and her team were on campus Friday, April 26 for the installation.
The sculpture was selected by an appointed committee of staff from ISU Dining, FP&M (Facilities, Planning & Management) and University Museums.
"When Susan shared her concepts with our committee, we chose Coalesce because it represents many 'complex, individual parts coming together to form an interwoven community,' " said Brittney Rutherford, Marketing Coordinator for ISU Dining and committee chair. "Students, faculty and staff have been gathering at the Hub for over 120 years. Coalesce really seemed to honor the Hub's history of being a central gathering place on campus."
The Hub was originally constructed in 1892 as the bookstore, post office and waiting room for the Ames College Railway, which transported passengers between downtown Ames and campus. Since then, The Hub has been used for a variety of purposes, most recently as one of several campus dining spots. The 2018 renovations were done to create a better designed space, alleviate long lines and bring two new dining venues to campus.
White is no stranger to Iowa State; her other sculptures are Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House in the Friley Hall cafeteria and Zoopsia in Morrill Hall. She is a nationally recognized painter and sculptor who uses a variety of mediums including plexiglass, aluminum, stainless steel, glassine and paint. She currently lives in Iowa City, Iowa where she is a Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Iowa.