Agronomy Hall- the site of my most stressful class freshman
year. I was an undecided, leaning
towards history major from downtown St. Paul. The closest thing to any farm experience
I had previously had was chasing after chickens on my Grandpa’s farm, but
somehow I had gotten the idea into my head that Agronomy 114 would be a fun and
easy class to take. Wrong. After my first hour in lecture I realized that I
would be learning the basics of farming, instead of the plant genetics I had
thought I signed up for. A few days later, I had to go to my lab to test my
practical knowledge on the farming techniques I had never before heard of or
even seen in real life.
Unfamiliar
with the building, I wandered around looking for my lab. I have stumbled across this
mural many times, when I would foolishly try to take a different route to my
class only to get swallowed up by the maze that is Agronomy Hall. The first mural
is a scene from a false window, using the “Trompe l’oeil” style. This technique
means to “trick the eye” in French. The artist mimics the wall’s surrounding
tiles in the painting’s columns and floor, which are used to add depth. You can
easily imagine yourself looking out across this beautiful landscape that is so
familiar to Iowa. If you look closely, you can see the campanile, Marston water
tower, and some of the other famous structures on campus. Someone once told me
this mural was to remind the professors of the real goal of their research-the
corn and the small farm seen in the foreground.
This
mural was to me as a freshman an orientating piece. I was just getting to know
the campus, and I was proud that I could look at this painting and be able to
place where I was. Being new to Iowa, I was also quickly learning how much of
an influence agriculture has on this state. I liked that there was a small farm
in the painting; it seemed so calm there among all the crops and things that I
was learning about in my class. The focus on everyday life and solving its
problems was a good lesson for me and the professors who walk by this piece
every day. They are working on solving our problems out in the field, while as
a freshman I needed a small reminder to not get so wrapped up in the big
problems in life.
I
didn’t realize there was a second mural until much later. Having spent many
hours in the lab asking the questions the equivalent of a 3 year old farm kid,
I had somehow been hired as the new lab hourly. One day on an errand, I finally
discovered the second painting. This mural fits my point of view as a junior at
ISU just as much as the first did on my first day freshman year. I now have an
overhead view of Iowa, no longer needing a guide to the small workings of
everyday life. My eyes, like the view in the painting, are set on much bigger
things. This mural has the same tricks of the eye as the first, making it
appear as if you are looking out onto the whole of Iowa. Many of the
geographical landscapes are shown- from the glacial plains to the Loess Hills.
There is also a cyclone in the center of the painting. This is a reference to
Iowa State of course, on the very edge of the storm. As a Junior, I feel as if
I’m right in line with that cyclone- at the moment I’m out of those stormy
skies of being new to Iowa State and to what my future will hold. Soon though
I’ll be moving on to my adult life and career, and I’ll have to remember the
first mural. Focusing on the everyday life and what your true goals are is
sometimes the best way to get through the stormy times.
By Sydney Marshall
By Sydney Marshall
