About the Public Art Project
Rowan University’s public art collection beautifies our campus, enriches our community, and contributes to our cultural heritage while offering opportunities for fellowship and reflection.
In addition to enhancing campus beauty and quality of life, public art encourages creative and critical thinking, expands art appreciation, fosters a sense of place, affirms the University’s values and tradition, and extends the intellectual and creative culture beyond the classroom. From an academic perspective, public art is a fascinating and relevant field to research. For example, public art has a long, rich history, and since it is also an interdisciplinary arts practice, it is a unique topic of study.
In addition, public art is a reflection of our history and how we view, care for, and collaborate to make our community better. Consequently, public art is studied by a diverse group of scholars, including art historians, architects, engineers, historians, geographers, and social scientists.
Public art is integrated into the curriculum to inspire creative and critical thinking, teach history and culture, explore digital scholarship, develop awareness and appreciation for art, and explore the human condition.
Public art is a unique topic of study because the artists commissioned to create public artworks usually design the work for a specific location and often explore multiple themes. The Rowan University public art collection explores themes in the humanities, biology, engineering, geography, literature, mathematics and science, medicine, philosophy, and even University history. For example, John Ottiano’s “Growth #50” sculpture was designed to commemorate our institution’s fiftieth anniversary. The student government selected its location in front of Chamberlain Student Center, and the students raised funds to install the iconic and conspicuous work. Students also helped design and build the sculpture within Dr. Roger Cantor’s sculpture class. The piece truly represents the collaborative spirit and tradition of our community.
Rowan University Public Art Project is an educational resource developed to inspire new research and creative projects about university campuses and public art. The project was developed as a digital scholarship project by the Rowan University Libraries Digital Scholarship Center in collaboration with University Publications, University Planning, and the Rowan University Art Gallery. The online project is designed to share information about Rowan University’s campus public art collection and inspire new academic connections, course projects, creative development, and research. We also envision this project inspiring the exploration of campus public art and public spaces at college and university campuses.
About the Collection
The physical collection is selected by various means and maintained by University Planning. The collection can be categorized in three distinct ways. The primary category is original artworks that the University commissioned through the state’s public art mandate, which requires one percent of state-financed projects to create new artwork. Examples include Beth Nybeck’s Opticks and John E. Bannon’s Test of Time. A second category comprises memorials and monuments that commemorate and recognize significant historical moments, places, and persons in time. Examples include Zenos Frudakis’ Henry Rowan and John Collins’ Endeavor. The third category includes works that organizations or individuals donated but still reflect our cultural values. An example of this category is Zenos Frudakis’ Knowledge is Power.
Project Goals
- Provide an educational resource to learn more about Rowan University’s public art collection.
- Provide an educational resource to learn and explore public art’s history and interdisciplinary nature.
- Inspire new research, course projects, outreach, and creative development.
- Inspire new community-driven creative projects and spaces.
- Increase public awareness of Rowan University’s commitment to creative endeavors, the arts, and the wider community.
- Contribute by enhancing and enlarging the campus’s creative climate.
- Inspire schools, colleges, and universities to leverage their campus public art as an educational resource
Create a Course Project
The Rowan University Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Center collaborates and supports course projects and research on public art and spaces. Our past course projects are listed on the Engage page. Please visit us at https://libguides.rowan.edu/DSC to learn more about us and our many past and current projects.
Internships
The Rowan University Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Center offers a for-credit internship focused on the public art project. The internship takes the form of experiential learning – learning through experiencing. Interns will be assigned various tasks related to learning outcomes and receive training and guidance. All majors are welcome. Learn more about our internship program at Rowan University Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Center.
Project Collaborators
- Michael Benson, Coordinator of the Digital Scholarship Center
- Christine Davidian, eResources and Serials Librarian, Art
- Arijit De, Assistant Vice President, University Planning & Operations
- Jonathan Jiras, Technology Services Librarian
- Lori Marshall, Assistant Vice President for University Relations
- Joseph Napolitano, University Planning & Operations
- Mary Salvante, Rowan University Art Gallery
- Fred Adelson, Ph.D., Department of Art
- Jen Kitson, Ph.D., Departments of Geography and Art
- Judith Haraburda, University Publications
- Trey Jaworski, DSC Student assistant
- Maria Morel, DSC Student assistant
- Linda Walczak, Campus Landscape Architect
- All the artists or families
Suggested Citation
Benson, Michael, Jiras, John, Marshall, Lori, Naarden, Jocelyn. et al. Rowan University Public Art Project. 2017. Enter the web address here. Web. [access date].