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?



Monday, April 28, 2014

Unlimited Possibilities

Over 25 years ago I rented an art studio in downtown Des Moines. The building has long since been demolished. There were maybe ten other artists renting space there. Some of the other talented artists were Saley Nong who now owns a floral and events business in Des Moines, Sarah Grant who started Sticks furniture store and Doug Shelton who's work I am featuring today, a mural located in Park's Library, titled Unlimited Possibilities.

Doug is a native of Iowa. We met when we were both working at the Des Moines' downtown Younker Department Store. Doug worked as a security guard and I was the manager of the China, Crystal and Silver Department...ancient history! Doug is an accomplished artist who now lives in Arizona but he has done many murals around Iowa, his work is sold through The Olson Larson Gallery in West Des Moines and he is also in the permanent collection of the Des Moines Art Center.
Artist's Comments about Unlimited Possibilities
The title refers to the life of the student as well as the life of the university. In contrast and complementary to the Grant Wood designed murals in the Parks Library which depict mature adults in society, I've focused on student learning activity.
The mural is divided into two sections - on the left is an agricultural setting, and on the right is a classroom setting. This can be viewed as town and country, city and rural, nature and civilization, etc.

Unlimited Possibilities is another fine work of art we can enjoy on campus in the ISU museum collection.


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Friday, March 28, 2014

Learning To Fly

Learning To Fly by Eric Sealine

















This mosaic by artist Eric Sealine is made from over 200,000 1" tiles and is 1,395 square feet you can find it in the swimming pool facilities on the first floor of the State Gymnasium. It is also a 2013 CID award winner. The Covering Installation And Design Awards is a competition for architects, designers, contractors, installers, and manufactures to demonstrate creativity and outstanding technical know-how in the use of tile and stone in commercial and residential projects. 

Eric Sealine received his undergraduate degree from ISU. He is a nationally recognized glass artist and now lives in Boston.


The following is Sealine's description of the memory that inspired him to create this mural:

I remember the day I learned to swim. I couldn’t have been more than four or five, and the swimming lessons were not going well. The instructor kept telling us to relax, that we could float, that the water would support us. I sank. I was a scared, skinny kid, blue with cold, and I resolutely sank.And then… I took a big gulp of air, intentionally went under water and kicked off the wall. I pulled up for more air, went back down, and found that I didn’t have to swim, because I could fly… underwater. I’ve loved the water ever since.Learning to Fly is about that oceanic delight we take at moments of great engagement with the world, moments when all our senses are running at 100% of their capacity.

Swimming is my favorite exercise. I love the complete workout, the challenge and that feeling of flying through the water.
By Josianne Ishikawa
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Friday, February 28, 2014

Farm House Museum

Welcome to the Farm House Museum!

















The Farm House built in 1860 was the first building on campus and the beginning of Iowa State University. It is open Monday to Friday from noon to 4pm during the school year with limited hours during break times. Anyone is welcome to drop in for a tour and during winter they offer hot chocolate to visitors.  It's a great place to stop in for a visit if you're on campus.

















Here are Farm Assistants Matt and Megan. If you visit the museum you will most likely meet one of them. In this picture they're rolling a quilt as part of an on going renovation project that I've been helping them with. The Farm House Museum has a large quilt collection that has been generously donated over the years.  We measure, catalogue, photograph, label, and carefully roll the quilts with a special tissue paper, then we cover them with muslin and store and hang them on the storage unit you can see in the background.

The Farm House Museum has some quilts by Mary Pemble Barton, one of the most celebrated quilters of the 20th century. Besides here you can also find her quilts at the state historical society and living history farms.

By Josianne Ishikawa
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