faculty, staff, students, and alumni involved in deciding what goes where
Iowa State University’s art collection was built by the people who live and work on campus. Public art has long helped tell the university’s story. Through more than 100 commissioning committees, national artists have been brought to campus, shaping a collection that reflects shared vision and institutional identity.
The collection is not just for passing by on the way to class; it is often part of instruction. Public artworks across campus support training in observation and interpretation—skills that apply to data analysis, design, and healthcare. University Museums staff lead tours for classes across all eight colleges, integrating art into learning.
The growing collection reflects the mission of departments, colleges, and the university itself. It requires ongoing care, including cleaning, conservation, and structural support as Iowa’s weather affects outdoor works. University Museums preserves and maintains these works, ensuring that the art created and installed at Iowa State continues to endure.
Memorial Union Parking Ramp, 2229 Lincoln Way (mapped location)
East Campus Parking Deck, 500 Wallace Road (mapped location)
History of the Art on Campus Collection and Program
The first public works of art on campus were two bas-relief murals in the 1920s by Nellie Verne Walker (1873–1973), installed on the original Library building. The public art program expanded during the Great Depression under President Raymond M. Hughes, who believed the arts would enrich intellectual life and curricula.
During this period, portraits of faculty, alumni, and administrators were commissioned, a tradition that continues today. Hughes invited Grant Wood to create agricultural murals and offered Christian Petersen a residency. Petersen remained for 21 years, producing 12 major sculptures and over 200 studio works that established a lasting campus legacy.
In Petersen’s spirit, Iowa State continues to use public art to reflect campus life and academics, building what is now the Art on Campus Collection and Program. These works tell stories through figurative and narrative traditions while representing the evolving identity of the university community.
Iowa became one of the first states to enact a percent-for-art law. Signed in 1979, the Art in State Buildings legislation ensured art in public buildings. Since then, Iowa State has completed over 100 AiSB projects, commissioned more than 700 works, and involved over 1,000 participants in the process.
Public art committees still follow established procedures, including writing philosophy statements, reviewing artists, selecting works, and managing budgets. Each committee retains authority over artistic direction and final approval. University Museums supports the process by maintaining a pool of professional artists and providing long-term care, conservation, and educational integration for the collection.
Utilizing AiSB and other fiscal support, the Art on Campus Collection accessions an average of 8-10 projects annually.
Today
Iowa State University is home to one of the largest campus public art programs in the United States. Over 2,500 public works of art make up the Art on Campus Collection, located across campus in buildings, courtyards, open spaces, and classrooms, integrating art into everyday campus environments.
Iowa State’s public art is not required to be purely aesthetic, but it must be intellectually relevant and used within curricula. Formalized in 1980, the Art on Campus Collection and Program includes acquisition, care, maintenance, scholarship, and educational programming to support its ongoing role.
Other departments' pages about the Art on Campus Collection
