You walk by it so often, you hardly notice it. One day, the light hits it differently and you see something new. Maybe you like it, maybe you don’t, but it has made you think. What is it? It is public art. And the University has a sizeable collection.

In 1984, the Minnesota Legislature passed Percent for Art legislation to encourage “state building projects with construction or renovation budgets of $500,000 or more to add up to 1 percent of the total construction budget to purchase or commission original artwork for the site,” according to the State Arts Board Web site. While the University of Minnesota isn’t bound by the statute, it set its own standard and formally launched its Public Art on Campus Program in 1988. The University’s collection has grown rapidly, accelerating with the building boom of the past four years.

“We’re unique, we’re a university,” says Shelly Willis, program coordinator. “All our disciplines have some connection to public art whether it’s design, materials science, engineering, or literature. We have a great laboratory for introducing students to public art.”

Each public art project has a selection committee made up of the faculty, staff, and students who occupy the campus building where the art will be placed. Some of the art on the University’s campuses has been around a long time, like Daniel Chester French’s 1900 bronze statue of Governor John Pillsbury on the Knoll in Minneapolis; other pieces are brand new, like the upcoming Bulls by Peter Woytuk outside Haecker Hall in St. Paul.

Look for the pieces described below next time you visit a University campus and keep your eyes peeled for many new works to come.

by Ann Kirby McGill

		Clear and Silver Chandelier Artist: Dale Chihuly 2000, glass Location: entrance foyer, Library, Duluth > Enter the new Library, and suspended before you is a creation by the internationally known glass artist, Dale Chihuly. Take the stairs to the mezzanine to get a closer look. Inspired by nature, especially the sea, Chihuly manipulates cylindrical forms to construct a dynamic work illuminated from within.
		Spanish American War Soldier Artist: Theo Ruggles-Kitson 1906, bronze Location: southwest lawn, Armory, Minneapolis > This bronze memorial sculpture is one of a series of Kitson statues across the U.S. commemorating veterans of the Spanish-American War. Standing against a backdrop of trees in front of the Armory, it is affectionately called Iron Mike by many at the University.
		Untitled Artist: Cliff Garten 2001, glass, stone, metal and natural plant materials Location: Science and Math Building, Morris > Cliff Garten’s work for the new Science and Math Building at UMM reminds people of the intimate link between the natural world and the theoretical world. Using prairie imagery, including the snowflake and prairie grass etched on glass, metal, and stone, Garten builds a bridge between the internal and external worlds by linking projects in the building with a natural seating area outside..
		Untitled Artist: AnArch 1996, earth, metal, wood, and concrete Location: plaza between Green Hall and the Natural Resources Administration Building, St. Paul > Designed by a group of six graduate students from the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, this landscape design integrates natural and manufactured materials to address controversial issues about water conservation and erosion. Watch out, it’s hard to resist turning the auger, diverting water across the plaza.
		Panagaea Artist: Evelyn Rosenberg 2000, detonography, copper, stainless, bronze, steel Location: dean’s suite, Carlson School of Management, Minneapolis > Using a process requiring small, strategically placed explosives that fuse together different metals and objects, Rosenberg created a site-specific, tiered sculpture installed within a cupola outside the Carlson School board room. The Panagaea theory, which asserts that the continents were once a single landmass, is a metaphor for the developing global economy.
		Atrium in Equilibrium Artist: Glenn R. Schafer 1994, steel and glass Location: entrance lounge, Atrium, Crookston > Serving as a campus entrance at the junction between Bede, Hill, and Owen Halls, the Atrium provides a setting for considering the educational ideal. A mirrored glass pyramid, reflecting one’s own image, is balanced between four towers. Each tower contains attributes representing the forces at play in education: idea and growth, knowledge and learning, labor and cooperation, and resource and utilization.

for more info on the Public Art on Campus Program, contact Shelly Willis at 612-625-9686.