Cardboard Giraffes and Steel Giants: Works of Art by Sculptor Albert Paley Return to Iowa State with Behind-the-Scenes Exhibition

Free exhibition features working models and sketches showing how monumental public sculptures begin—from zoo animals to architectural portals 

AMES, Iowa — A cardboard giraffe as tall as a refrigerator. A model of a seal as long as a bathtub. Elephants, rhinos, penguins and toucans—all made from cardboard, foam core and metal scraps. 

These aren't finished sculptures. They're the working models that show how internationally renowned sculptor Albert Paley transforms ideas into three-dimensional reality before scaling up to create monumental public art. 

This spring, University Museums presents Albert Paley: Origins, a look at the preparatory phase of artistic creation. The exhibition features a selection of objects from Paley's 50-year career, including a menagerie of zoo animals created for the St. Louis Zoo's huge Animals Always commission, completed in 2006. 

The exhibition marks Paley's return to Iowa State nearly 20 years after his 2007-2008 exhibition Albert Paley: Portals and Gates, which coincided with the permanent installation of the public sculpture, Transformation, at Morrill Hall's entrance. 

Exhibition dates: March 1-July 24, 2026 

Opening reception and gallery talk: Sunday, March 1, 2-3 p.m. with Curator Anne Pagel 

Location: Christian Petersen Art Museum, Morrill Hall 1st Floor, Iowa State University 

Admission: Free 

What You'll See 

The exhibition includes an array of objects and didactic panels on loan from Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum (Clarinda, Iowa): 

• Cardboard zoo animals from the St. Louis Zoo Animals Always commission: giraffes, elephants, rhinos, penguins, toucans, walruses, seals, monkeys and more 

• The archway model for the St. Louis Zoo entrance gates, a tabletop version of what became a 130-foot-long, 100-ton steel installation, the largest sculpture at any public zoo in the United States 

• Construction patterns and drawings showing how flat materials become three-dimensional animals 

• Working photos documenting the fabrication process 

• Threshold series drawing and model, related to Transformation right outside the museum at Morrill Hall 

"Most people experience public sculpture as a finished product—something permanent they walk or drive past," said Alison Ranniger Van Zante, Curator of the Christian Petersen Art Museum. "This exhibition illuminates: 'How did they do that?' and ‘Why?’ You'll see how humble cardboard becomes three-dimensional animals, how sketches turn into 85-foot steel monuments." 

Exploring Material, Form and Meaning 

Origins invites viewers to delve into the origins of Paley's creative process, revealing how ideas emerge in response to specific sites and project requirements. A pioneering American metal sculptor whose art merges traditional forging techniques with contemporary design, Paley creates expressive, commanding forms that balance the poetic with the pragmatic. 

The exhibition brings together a selection of maquettes and preliminary designs that highlight the interplay of material and symbolism central to Paley's practice, which lay the groundwork for his large-scale public art commissions embedded in landscapes across Iowa and the United States. From maquettes to gigantic metal, the exhibition showcases Paley's response to architectural and public spaces expressed through the context of forms. 

"We were particularly intrigued by the opportunity to delve into the origins of his creative process," said Anne Pagel, Curator of the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum and the Karen and Robert Duncan Art Collection. "How begins to formulate ideas in response to sites and project requirements, how he balances the poetic with the pragmatic and how he incorporates content." 

From Jewelry to Giants: Paley's Journey 

Albert Paley (b. 1944) began his career making wearable sculpture as a jeweler and goldsmith, earning his MFA from Tyler School of Art in 1969. He moved to Rochester, New York that same year to teach goldsmithing at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he now holds an endowed chair and permanent artist-in-residence status.

This career trajectory mirrors that of Christian Petersen, Iowa State's first permanent artist-in-residence, who worked 50 years earlier. Both artists began as jewelers and metalsmiths before transitioning to monumental sculpture. Both became permanent artists-in-residence at educational institutions, shaping their campuses with innovative public art. This parallel was a fundamental reason University Museums commissioned Paley for Transformation in 2007—recognizing the continuation of a legacy Petersen established at Iowa State.

Paley's trajectory changed dramatically in 1974 when he won a commission to create Portal Gates for the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery—a project that launched his transition to architectural-scale metalwork. Paley and a former student spent a year forging the gates that would become among the most significant ironwork created since Louis Sullivan.

In the five decades since, Paley has become the first metal sculptor to receive the American Institute of Architects' Lifetime Achievement Award. His work appears in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and over 40 other institutions worldwide. He has completed more than 50 major public commissions, including the Animals Always Gateway Sculpture for the St. Louis Zoo—currently the largest sculpture at any zoo in the United States.

The Iowa Connection: Transformation as Gateway 

Transformation, completed in 2007, holds a prominent place at the Christian Petersen Art Museum. Commissioned as a public work of art to mark the entrance of the then newly renovated Morrill Hall, the sculpture serves as a symbolic gateway to a revitalized center of learning—a physical metaphor for the building's evolution from a historic campus structure into a contemporary museum and educational space. 

Visitors to Origins can view the exhibition inside, then step outside to experience Transformation firsthand, connecting the preparatory process visible in the models and drawings with the finished sculpture. 

Iowa has a strong concentration of Paley's sculptures. His four permanent installations in the state include: 

• Transformation (2007), Ames: The 15-foot stainless steel portal at Morrill Hall's east entrance, commissioned by University Museums for the building's renovation, visible just outside the exhibition space. The sculpture references the historic graduation portal that once stood at Morrill Hall, where students passed through after completing their college curriculum. Paley's abstract explosion of fragmented steel forms represents individual students transformed by their educational journey—each form symbolizing a person changed through exposure to learning, faculty and fellow students. The sculpture serves as both a monument to the past and a threshold to the future, connecting old and new as students continue to pass through into transformed lives.
• Odyssey (2010), Council Bluffs: Four sculptures ranging 46–60 feet tall over I-80, commissioned by Iowa West Foundation as a gateway to Iowa. When installed, public reactions ranged from praise for the dramatic welcome to comparisons to "Freddy Krueger hands" and "scrap metal." One driver rear-ended another vehicle and told police the sculptures distracted him. 
• Regeneration (2013), Cedar Rapids: Created for the Public Library's post-flood reconstruction. 
• Reconfiguration (2002), Perry: Marking entrances to public space between two historic building 

When Paley downsized from his 50,000-square-foot Rochester studio in 2019, these preparatory materials were purchased by Karen and Robert Duncan for the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum's Art-on-the-Fly Program for educational purposes. Paley advocated for this purpose, stating, “Education has been integral to my studio practice in academia and with lectures and conferences.” 

Family-Friendly Behind-the-Scenes Access 

The zoo animal models have particular appeal for families and visitors unfamiliar with Paley in the art world. Cardboard giraffes, elephants and birds demonstrate the creative process in accessible, tangible ways, showing how artists solve three-dimensional problems through iteration and experimentation. 

"This [collection] provides an opportunity for viewers to experience Paley’s creative process and to learn about his collaborative efforts involving architects, structural engineers, fabricators and other professionals to realize the creation of his large-scale sculptures,” said Trish Bergren, Director of the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum. 

The scale transformation is dramatic: the 75-inch-tall giraffe model and 119-inch archway in the exhibition became part of a 130-foot long, 36-foot high, 100-ton steel installation at the St. Louis Zoo, demonstrating Paley's ability to envision and execute sculptures larger than most buildings from tabletop cardboard models. 

Cross-Disciplinary Learning Opportunities 

The exhibition supports curriculum engagement by encouraging interdisciplinary learning and critical discussion across art, design and engineering fields. Students and faculty from programs including design, industrial technology, materials engineering and architecture will find relevant connections to fabrication processes, material properties and the relationship between concept and execution. 

Public Programming 

The exhibition includes multiple free public programs: 

• March 1, 2 p.m.: Opening gallery talk with Curator Anne Pagel, with book signing 

• March 26, 6 p.m.: Museum Meetup: Make and Model—build with LEGO® bricks and explore 3D printing/scanning with the Student Innovation Center’s 3D Lab and FIRST LEGO League 

• April 7, 5:30 p.m.: Tour with ISU Curators Alison Ranniger Van Zante and Sydney Marshall of both the exhibition and Transformation sculpture outside 

• April 27, 12 p.m.: Poetry Walk with former Iowa Poet Laureate Deb Marquart, featuring poetry inspired by Art on Campus 

The exhibition builds on University Museums' strategy of showcasing both fine and decorative arts alongside education about taking vision to realization, a tradition established by ISU's first artist-in-residence, Christian Petersen, who, like Paley, began his career as a metalsmith before transitioning to monuments. 

Exhibition Information 

Albert Paley: Origins 

March 1-July 24, 2026 

Christian Petersen Art Museum, Morrill Hall 

603 Morrill Road, Ames, IA 50011 

Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Admission: Free | Suggested donation $8 

This exhibition is curated and organized by University Museums in partnership with the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum's Art on the Fly program. Support for the exhibition and programming was given by the Kathy and John Howell Art Enrichment Program and University Museums Membership. 

Companion book available: Anne Pagel's “Albert Paley: Origins” (2025), $35, available for purchase at opening reception and throughout the exhibition run. University Museums also offers Albert Paley: Portals and Gates (2007), $20, published in conjunction with the University Museums’ previous Paley exhibition. 

About University Museums 

University Museums at Iowa State University administers five entities: Brunnier Art Museum, Christian Petersen Art Museum, Farm House Museum, Anderson Sculpture Garden and the Art on Campus Collection. For more than 50 years, the organization has presented rotating exhibitions, educational programming and public access to collections of decorative arts, contemporary art and outdoor sculpture. All exhibitions and venues offer free admission. 

Media Contact: 

Nicky Christensen 

Marketing Specialist, University Museums 

Iowa State University 

515-294-3342 

njac@iastate.edu