While traversing the campus, most students are lucky if they have time to breathe in between classes. It’s almost impossible for students to take a moment to stop and notice the things that become less noticeable in our day-to-day walks across campus grounds – campus art being one of them.
The university boasts a range of artwork including paintings, murals, photographs and sculptures with an even broader range of media. Campus artists represent a mixture of local and emerging talents, university fine arts alumni and professors, and artists with national and international reputations.
If you haven’t already done so, you should take some time to get to know the art around you. Spend an afternoon at Kelly Lee’s "Waterfall, Stele and River" or eat lunch at Jim Love’s "Landscape with Blue Trees." Check out just how tall William King’s "Collegium" is, take a seat on Mary Miss’ "Untitled" chairs or find out why Gerhard Marcks’ "Orpheus" looks so sad.
Ever wondered what the deal was with Richard McDermott Miller’s "Sandy in Defined Space" or how Frank Stella’s awe-inspiring "Euphonia" came to be? Luckily the folks at University Collections have a whole Web site, www.uh.edu/arttour, dedicated to art at the university.
You can find the names, artists and locations belonging to any one of the 250 sculptures, paintings or murals found on campus. You can learn the history of the piece, the donor and even how long it took for the artwork to get settled into it’s permanent home at UH.
If that isn’t enough University Collections has a detailed map for students, visitors and general art lovers to use for 30-mintue walking tours. While the weather is nice, make a campus art date with friend and read about the artists that contributed their work to UH. Do it to gain a greater appreciation for the artwork that adds to the aesthetic, and history, of our university. Most importantly, do it before it’s too late.
For more information about campus art, contact the curator of University Collections at (713) 743-9521.
