About Landmarks

Photo by Christina Murrey

Landmarks is the first program in the university’s history to develop a collection of public art from a curatorial perspective. Its projects beautify the campus and engage visitors and the university community with art of the highest quality.

To ensure a comprehensive approach to its program, Landmarks engaged Peter Walker Partners Landscape Architects to create a Public Art Master Plan (pdf) in 2007. It proposes the best locations for installations of public art to provide visual anchors at gateways, to accentuate main axis corridors, and to clarify patchy architectural edges.

Landmarks was launched in 2008 and announced three ongoing initiatives to unify the campus and build a cohesive collection of public art:

The first brings twenty-eight sculptures on long-term loan from one of the world’s greatest museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. These works from the mid-to-late twentieth century establish an art historical foundation upon which the university has begun to build its own collection. The university’s partnership with the Metropolitan Museum is unprecedented and these extraordinary sculptures are intended to remain on campus indefinitely.

The second initiative brings new public art projects to campus with major building renovations and new construction projects. Funding for this initiative comes from a 2005 policy called Art in Public Spaces that sets aside 1 to 2 percent of each project’s costs for public art, one example being a James Turrell Skyspace that will soon enhance the new student activity center.

The third Landmarks initiative draws upon philanthropic gifts to improve shared public spaces. Private support finances campus-wide priorities such as gateways, medians, malls, corridors, and other areas not associated with specific building projects. Public art in these shared spaces creates focal points and draws attention to overlooked areas on campus. The heroic sculpture Clock Knot, by Mark di Suvero, at the corner of Speedway and Dean Keeton, exemplifies the power of art to transform such public locations.

Landmarks is building upon the Metropolitan Museum sculpture initiative by acquiring works of public art that feature diverse media and demonstrate major trends in the visual arts. Currently under development are works that represent movements in abstract expressionist, minimal, post-minimal, conceptual, video, new media, and street art.

Beyond providing opportunities to continually engage with its growing public art collection, Landmarks serves students through its docent and preservation programs. Landmarks Docents gives students the opportunity to sharpen communication and analytic skills by leading visitors on tours of Landmarks projects. The Landmarks Preservation Guild offers students a chance to practice the care and maintenance of works of art in the Landmarks collection.

In addition to these programs, Landmarks provides the campus community and general public with resources to enhance their understanding of its collection. Activity guides offer instruction to three developmental stages of youth. For adults, information about each artist’s work, bibliographic resources, and audio tours are also available.

By bringing great works of public art to the main campus, Landmarks records our history, builds community, and creates a sense of place, now and for future generations. To learn more, visit Landmarks projects in person, view the interactive map, or read the Frequently Asked Questions.