Light Totem reinstalled at Art Museum

After nearly a year-long hiatus, a long-standing tradition returned to campus Monday.

The iconic Light Totem, created by IU professor and professional lighting designer Robert Shakespeare, was reinstalled in front of the IU Art Museum.

During summer orientation, new students receive a copy of the IU bucket list.

Many new students were denied a popular bucket list item that reads: “At night, lay on the ground and watch the lights change on the side of the IU Art Museum,” as the Light Totem was taken down earlier in the year.

Sophomore Ashton Moody said she was upset she wasn’t able to participate in the IU tradition as a freshman.

“At orientation, I remember the Totem being mentioned in videos about the unique traditions of IU but never could find it since it was taken down before we actually moved in,” Moody said.

Linda Baden, project curator at the IU Art Museum, said the Light Totem was originally created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Art Museum’s I.M. Pei building in 2006.

Baden said she recalled how the museum building was very dark at night.

The museum wanted a presence on campus, even when it was closed., she said.

“It was intended to be a very temporary display, only three months long, but the great popularity of the piece led to the IU Trustees making it a permanent fixture in 2010,” Baden said in an email.

Because it was meant as a temporary installation, the IU Art Museum had to do annual inspections of the tower.

They found that it was time to replace the structure with a new one.

“We did not expect that it would be so popular with students, and we are thrilled that it is,” Baden said. “Rob Shakespeare, however, knew that people are drawn to light, and he was confident that the Totem would become a gathering place for folks on campus at night. We just never expected it would become the campus icon that it is.”

After taking down the Light Totem, the museum saw that the community missed it.

Rita Grunwald, a donor with a long work history at the School of Fine Arts, said she loved the iconic piece.

That was why she gave the museum the money to replace the structure.

The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President then contributed the remaining funds to reinstall the Totem.

Although recently reinstalled, the Light Totem will not have the full lights displayed until the official relighting ceremony at 9:15 p.m. June 21.

The ceremony will include music by the Dynamics, art and crafts activities, self-guided tours of the museum galleries, food vendors and refreshments.

The ceremony is open to the public.

Sarah Ditlinger, former IU Art Museum marketing and communications intern, said the official relighting date will also be when the museum celebrates it’s annual Midsummer Night.

“This celebrates the shortest night of the year for the summer solstice,” Dillinger said.
 “But this year there will be that added excitement with the Totem being lit back up again.”

Returning students and alumni have expressed they are looking forward to seeing the Light Totem when they return for the fall school year.

“My friends and I definitely plan on seeing the Light Totem once it’s back,” Moody said.

“We really want to complete all the different IU activities on the IU bucket list before we graduate.”