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| Staff and Interns prep the float for the VEISHEA parade. |
As the interns are away on break, I'll be taking over these blog
posts for the summer. My name is Dorothy Witter. I am the
Interpretation Specialist/Program Assistant for the University Museums. With
every program, event, or tour we plan, education is our number one priority.
It's easy to get wrapped up in the educational lesson-planning side of tours
and forget to step back and really enjoy the art for what it is. Hopefully these next few months will give me
the chance to explore campus art again with a new perspective.
After all of the recent hoopla over the Panthers, it seems apropos to start off the summer with a post
about the newest additions to the Art on Campus (AOC) Collection. The story of how the Panthers, by Christian Petersen ended up at Iowa State is fascinating (read more here:
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| Petersen's Panthers are installed right outside of Morrill Hall. |
Lately I've been thinking a lot about the Panthers. I'm always intrigued by a good mystery/sleuthing story (isn't it about time for a CSI spin off about art heists/lost art?). But it's more than just the story that interests me. I've been thinking about the actual sculptures - their journeys over time, the transformation they've gone through, and their rich histories (some aspects of which we may never know the full story). All of these things combine to give the sculptures very unique personalities. It's almost as if these sculptures have taken on real, human characteristics with real, human stories. Maybe it's because these sculptures are just so different than Christian Petersen's other sculptures on campus, but to me the Panthers have so much character.
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| Panther with Deer at Middlebury College, Vermont. (Pre-conservation) |
For years, the University Museums knew Petersen's Panthers existed but didn't know where they were located. After nearly 20 years of searching for the "lost" sculptures, the museum staff discovered that they were on the campus of Middlebury College in Vermont. The sculptures underwent an extensive conservation process, changing their physical appearance and adding yet another layer to their histories. Christian Petersen made these sculptures before he started his career at Iowa State, but I wonder what he would think if he knew they were now on campus right next to his other work.
The museums on campus exist for students. Many of the sculptures in the AOC Collection are meant to relate to a student's journey at Iowa State. A lot of students begin their college careers without knowing exactly where they're going to end up. They are lost, in a sense, just like the Panthers were lost to the museums. It's only over time, however, that you really find out what you want to do and where you want to go in life. The experiences during your college years are critical in defining who you are and over time, you discover new things that lead you to a better understanding of yourself. Now that the Panthers are back on campus, I like to think that we have a more complete understanding of who Christian Petersen was before his time in Ames. We have a better picture of what he did before teaching here. Because of this, we understand more about his life and know more about him not only as an artist, but also as a person who had an important role in Iowa State's history.
Perhaps the recent graduation ceremonies have me feeling nostalgic, but the Panthers really made me stop and think about my own college experience. Who knew a growling panther with a dead deer could do that?! Every day, I have the opportunity to talk with students. Although it may not seem obvious at first, the Art on Campus really can be relevant to your personal experiences. Next time you're out and about on campus, stop and think about why certain works of art are there. You might be surprised what you discover.
- Dorothy Witter
