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?



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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1 comment:

  1. Darren DemersNovember 11, 2020 at 1:32 AM

    Eric Sealine received his undergraduate degree from ISU. He is a nationally recognized glass artist and now lives in Boston. afghani cap online , vintage choker necklace , tiger embroidery patch , Tribal Babay Banaris Dress

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