A Student's Journey Through Art On Campus: March 2013

The Journey Begins

As a college student money is tight most of the time, and with a down turn in the economy it has become even more important to curb my spending. People always talk about college students' spring break trips and the crazy amount of money spent on excursions to all the corners of the globe. Unfortunately, I am not able to afford these pricy vacations and I began to think about what I could do to experience culture in my own backyard. As I researched my community and university, I came upon the University Museums website and learned just how important they really are. The most impressive thing about the museums on campus is their collection of public artwork. Iowa State University has the largest collection of public works of art of any university in the United States! This fact shocked me and truly made me think... why do I have to take an airplane to see great art? Do I really need to spend a fortune to experience fine art and culture? The answer I came to was absolutely not! Not until I came to this realization did I feel I had something worthy of blogging about. This blog is my journey through 645 pieces of public work on the Iowa State University campus. I will include my opinions, my interpretations, and always a little background research to put the piece in context. Shall we go on a campus tour?

Thursday, March 14, 2013

E+l+e+m+e+n+t+a+l

Snow in March? What a weird concept to grasp coming from El Paso TX. You know in movies when there is always that one spot that the main character goes to clear their head; a roof top, a park, a coffee shop, that one desk in the corner of the library? I know that I have been searching for a place like that here on ISU’s campus. With the way the weather has been lately it is hard trying to find it. Where do we go when everything is covered in snow? Well students of ISU I think I may have found an answer.

Located behind the Armory, Hach Hall has an open area that allows students to sit and eat, do homework, socialize with friends and enjoy the artwork around them. E+l+e+m+e+n+t+a+l by Norie Sato is a project that uses chemistry, elements and other aspects of scientific processes to inspire and create works of art. These pieces are both playful and meaningful. The works are fun to look at and puts an interesting spin on chemical elements and the periodic table.

I hope you will take a few friends maybe grab caribou on the way and go take a look at Sato’s work in Hach Hall. It’s different, intriguing and could become your new spot to get away from everything.

By Dorothee Nygren