"Untitled" Murals, Agronomy Hall, Richard Haas

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

Central Campus

In light of VESHIEA I thought it would be fitting to write about Central Campus- the heart of ISU; 20 acres of land set aside for student use only.   I’m sure even with this rainy weather you have stopped by there at least once this week. During VESHIEA, Homecoming, Destination Iowa State and other social and club functions our Central Campus is used as a place to unify students from all different background, beliefs and majors. Even without organized gatherings on average how many times do you go through Central Campus?

A little bit of history for all of you out there Central Campus was set aside by our first president Adonijah Welch. Its design was planned from the positioning of the buildings to the types of trees and their placements.  Central Campus is like a temporary instillation; each day the campus is different and it’s up to you the student to take advantage of it.  The day can change so quickly, with the smile of a friend or the joy of students on a perfect day. On that perfect day get out there and lay around, meet new people and play a game of flag football.  Take advantage of this time, of  the life that we are in, the easy of meeting someone new and creating a new relationship.  Hope you guys get out there and enjoy Central Campus.  After all is that what life is about? Enjoying those little moments and making the most of them?

Happy VESHIEA week ISU! It’s a great day to be a cyclone!

Posted by Dorothee Nygren

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

Cyclone Pride

What better way to start off this blog than with some Iowa State Cyclone Pride?  Journeying through the art on campus I found that sometimes we can make connections to art in the most unlikely spaces. Intercollegiate Athletics: Founded in Education is a work of art that is passed by Iowa State students, alumni and friends in the Fall Semester on every game day.  Right in front of Jack Trice Stadium stands these five stationary lights that represent the tie between athletes and education.

Each pillar has four flat sides with different metal cutout images.  Three of the panels depict student athletes in action partaking in athletic activities, such as swimming, basketball, football, volleyball, and baseball.  The fourth panel shows a student performing an academic assignment, working in a lab, or playing an instrument.  The base of these light panels is molded terracotta made to look like shelves filled with academic books. 

After I had decided that I was going to write about this installation, a few of my friends and I drove past Jack Trice at night and saw the different impact it had.  At night, these panels were lit up from the inside, showing the athletes “glowing with knowledge.” Its funny how I never really noticed them before, but there they were.

Jack Trice Stadium is a monument for the students of Iowa State. It represents our Cyclone pride.  It’s only fitting that this work of art be placed where so many great athletes come to play.  So, next time you go to Jack Trice Stadium to support our Cyclones I hope you’ll take a look at these sculptures and when you do let me know what you think?

By Dorothee Nygren

U Fleku

There was an exhibition called Relationship Renewed at the Brunnier Art Museum during fall semester 2012.  Integrated Studio Arts Faculty at Iowa State University explored dynamic connections in the work of art faculty and colleagues across the campus showing their new works of art and improvement. Working at the Brunnier Art Museum, I have enjoyed this exhibition for a long time.  

Among all the wonderful art in the exhibition, I would like to introduce one which was made by Chris Martin titled U Fleku. In 2004, Chris was awarded a CEAH grant to travel to Central Europe to research Czech Cubism. U Fleku is part of a body of work in response to what he found out.  

Cubism was an innovative art movement in 20^th century Europe pioneered by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso.  The style of cubism was a response against realism in impressionism and the basis of many modern art forms, such as abstract art. When Cubism emerged in Europe, it was encountered with a strong negative criticism. Cubism was concentrated mainly on the form or shape of an object by breaking the object down into geometric shapes.

Czech Cubism was one of the styles of Cubism. It was an avant – garde art movement of Czech proponents of Cubism active from 1912 to 1914.  Czech or Czech people are a West Slavic ethnic group of Central Europe, living in the Czech Republic.

Cubism had a widespread influence all over Europe and even in New York at the time but it ended when World War I erupted in Europe. Though cubism had ended, it became one of the most popular modern art styles.  Cubism gave the world a new view on realism with its distortion and overlapping. It also made people think in differently, that objects are not what they appear to be and let them discover a true meaning behind the broken and overlapping objects.

 I was very impressed when I appreciated U Fleku and its influence by Czech Cubism. Looking at this beautiful artwork, I could imagine a young lady who is shy, innocent, confident,  and dignified standing up in the center of the museum. It has a beautiful silhouette of a female figure.

The many geometric shapes tell me about the movement of Cubism in 20^th century. A polygon shape of the mirror, a counter, and two legs remind me of parts of the human body such as a head, a neck, a torso and two legs overlapped and twisted. It is amazing how all the geometric shapes integrated all together to form one piece of outstanding art.  

It shows aesthetic beauty as well as a functional effect. For example, two wide and shallow drawers can be used for keeping something very valuable. The color in the drawers is so bright pink, which represents the beauty of the female gender.   Also, the color of the furniture is very natural not too dark or not too light.  When the drawers are opened, it seems like a woman opening her arms to hug someone in front of.

Whenever I looked at this sculpture that is very simple and complicated, I was attracted to its posture and its beauty. Even though the exhibition ended now, this beautiful artwork gives me an everlasting inspiration.

- by Sodam Lee

“Border Crossing” … Luis Jimenez

On August 2, 2010 when I arrived in Ames, I was very nervous because I was very worried about studying as a graduate student raising children without my husband’s help. Even though this is not the first time living in the United States, I felt great responsibility for my graduate study and children at once. When I first came to the United States in 2001, I relied on my husband who takes good care of our family. But this time, my husband stayed for two weeks to help us settle down in Ames. After he left, I was so afraid of being left with my kids. In addition, there was lightning and thunder almost every night since our arrival in Ames. One night, my family experienced a blackout on account of a horrible thunderstorm.  

For several nights, I could not sleep tight because of not only jet lag but also scary weather changes.  On one day, the rain poured and flooded the west areas of Ames. The night before the flood day, I saw dark and sinister clouds spreading all over the sky of Ames. It was a really horrible scene. It looked as if devil spirits were coming down on to Ames. Because of the flood, puddles formed in front of my house and a number of mosquitoes attacked our house.

                                                                            

As I lived in fear for several nights, I had several times to think about going back to my home country. I could not have peace of mind and could not enjoy the natural beauty of Ames.

One day, we were driving around the ISU campus. We found a small lake called Swan Lake Laverne. The lake was beautiful, picturesque and calm, reflecting the shining sun on the surface; it seemed like some shining marbles rolling on the surface of the lake. The beauty captured my heart all at once. When I saw two swans floating on the water, I felt like I was a protagonist in the fairy tale of Swan Lake. We pulled over our car near the lake and had a great time taking pictures together.

After that we started to walk to central campus and suddenly I found out a big beautiful sculpture on the green grass in the middle of the central campus.  It was “Border Crossing”, one of Luis Jimenez’s signature works of art. This artwork gave me a huge impression touching my heart at that time. This sculpture is of a man crossing the border carrying a woman on his shoulders.  The woman holds a crying infant in her arms, sheltering the child from harm.  This sculpture commemorates the huge number of immigrants who travelled across the southwestern border from Mexico into the United State in search of a better life.

Even though I was not one of the immigrants, I came here with the same purpose and had had difficult time to adjust and set up a new life in Ames. I think this is the reason why I felt this artwork so beautiful.

After experiencing such a wonderful moment, peace came filling into my mind and I decided not to come back to my home country. Because of  the Swan Lake Laverne and the sculpture, “ Border Crossing’  in ISU campus, my negative first impression of Ames turned into positive one and I was fully convinced that it is worth living in such a small campus town, Ames.

Today I watch this artwork with different eyes and mind however I still remember the moment when I met this sculpture at the first time.

-  by Sodam Lee

The Moth by Mac Adams, Coover Hall

The bright colored leaves, yellow buses, and passing ISU students make the campus dance. The walking speed of students gets faster and faster as the air gets colder.  Today, I decided to tour the artworks on the ISU campus instead of sitting in front of the desk at my place, despite the tough wind.

The freezing wind bit against my cheek, but an encounter with a beautiful fall scene while walking made me forget the cold of the fall. Whenever I met a beautiful campus scene or artwork I became a photographer.

When I returned to the Design building, I suddenly remembered one of the artworks standing quietly

 across the Design building. Three huge pieces of heavy stones…  It looked like three puzzle pieces

nobody could make sense of until all the pieces fit together.

One day when I had just started the graduate program, I was riding the bus and saw a beautiful white butterfly flying away. The “white butterfly” as I call it, is not really a white butterfly, but empty space forming the shape of butterfly.  This butterfly sculpture gave me a good impression two years ago.

 Today was the first time I stood next to this sculpture to observe its detail.  The white stone has a very beautiful edge with a gray colored pattern on the surface reminding me of moving waves or wind.

I wondered why the artist chose to display a butterfly on our campus. A few questions sparked in my

mind about butterflies which I have answered them below.  

•  How long do butterflies live?

 It depends on the size of the butterfly, the species of the butterfly, where it lives, and what time of year it became an adult. If the butterfly is smaller in size, it will probably not live as long as the large butterfly. Now of course, the size of the butterfly is not going to be the only factor affecting the life-span of a butterfly, but is a major factor.

• What is the average life span of a butterfly?

 It is usually about one month. However, butterflies perched on flowers in our yards will live only about one week.  Tropical Heliconians and Monarchs are the only butterflies that have an average life span of about nine months.

• How do some butterflies survive the cold winter without migrating?

 If the butterfly eggs were laid just before the cold weather, the egg will stay in egg-form until the weather warms up. If the weather starts to turn colder and the adult butterfly does not migrate south, the butterfly will hibernate somewhere until the weather warms up. Because of this, a butterfly could technically live for many months past the average life span, depending on the climate and stage in their life the butterfly is in when winter comes.

The White Butterfly on campus we have now does not consider the weather change. It is always on

 the ISU campus in the winter and summer as a wonderful artwork. The size of this artwork matches

the building right next to it and the gray color pattern on the stone pieces goes with the color of the

 building as well.  

The bottom of the pieces are wide and heavy while the top is narrow and light, making the heavy stones look stable and well-built. I think the gray pattern shows the natural shape of a moving butterfly.  The three different sized stones make the artwork more interesting and attractive. The edges of the stones are well- polished and not too sharp nor too dull.

The sculpture of the butterfly does not impact viewers during the cold weather as people focus on hugging their jackets closer to keep themselves warm from the cold wind. But when the weather lightens up, more people will open their eyes to enjoy the butterfly’s beauty. Despite the cold weather today, the butterfly on our campus still stands in its usual spot reminding us of the beauty of spring that is to come.
- by Sodam Lee