Art for new Ashton

Next time you walk to class, look around.

No, not at the half-asleep people chugging Starbucks before their 8 a.m. Nor at the trees, which have blanketed the campus in yellow leaves.

This time, keep an eye out for a carved stone duck.

Or notice the sculpture on the side of Ballantine titled “Truth, Daughter of Time.”

While taking that not-quite-allowed dip in Showalter Fountain, take a second look at the recently-restored sculpture of Venus.

Next time your morning class in Woodburn 100 isn’t so interesting, try to pick out all the events from Indiana history in the Thomas Hart Benton murals.

The reason we can enjoy these works is a commitment that our University has made to campus art.

IU pioneered the protection of its public art by hiring a full-time campus curator.

Sherry Rouse is responsible for managing the countless (literally, as in she hasn’t finished counting) works of art owned by the University that are not in museums.

Rouse believes campus art furthers the mission of the University to be a forum for intellectual exchange.

“Almost any art that’s worth its salt creates turmoil,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important on a college campus. It creates an environment that inspires us to think.”

This commitment to public art on campus needs to be continued in the new student housing being built to replace Ashton Residence Center.

An effort has been made to make the new building fit in with the rest of campus. The exteriors will be genuine limestone and existing trees were saved.

But where’s the art?

Decorative stonework, University Architect Robert Meadows explained, was not considered for the New Housing 2010 because there is no room in the $80 million budget.

Teter and Wright Quads, the two adjacent resident halls, both have exterior stone artwork.

Maxwell Hall, one of the most beautiful campus buildings, has an abundance of stonework; the gargoyles are especially memorable.

The tradition of building with limestone decorated by carved ornaments connects this University to the state it serves, highlighting the rich heritage of Indiana stonework.

Recent buildings, such as Simon Hall, have embraced that tradition. But according to Meadows, it only happened because faculty were “adamant” about having carving on their building, even to the point of sacrificing interior amenities.

We, as students, must be the agents who push for the beauty of our new building. This is the first new residence hall since 1969, and we should not let a shortage of money stop it from having exterior art.

I call on all of us, as students, to raise the money to make this happen. Then it will be our residence hall, something we’ve helped bring into being.

The purpose of campus art is to help create, in the words of Herman B Wells, “a pleasant and attractive campus providing physical beauty which soothes the spirit.”

Let’s uphold that vision, first by noticing the art on campus, then by realizing its importance and finally fighting for its future.

Seriously, look for the duck.