By Whitney Baxter
At its best, art can inspire, entertain and inform. The new mural and suspended bee mobile on the fourth floor of the Student Innovation Center at Iowa State University succeeds at all the above.
This summer, the two art pieces were installed outside rooms 4227 and 4229, which are collaborative learning labs owned by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Funding for the art pieces came from Farm Credit Services of America and the Student Innovation Center.
“It fits right in with Iowa State’s long tradition of public art, meant to inspire, meant to provoke thinking and meant to provoke opportunity. So, we feel like we’ve contributed to something that’s bigger than ourselves,” Daniel J. Robison, endowed dean of CALS, said of the art.
Collaborative effort
The installation culminates three years of collaboration and multidisciplinary efforts among students, faculty and staff from CALS, the College of Design, the Student Innovation Center, and Facilities Planning and Management.
Students played a significant role in creating the foundation for what would become the final art pieces. CALS and Design students took part in a two-day design charrette in 2021, during which they created designs for the two collaborative learning labs. The goal was to have the designs represent CALS and the innovation that takes place within the college.
Story behind the art
Following the charrette, Reinaldo Correa Díaz, owner of Reinaldo Correa Studio and former College of Design faculty member, was hired to bring the artwork to life. Through various meetings with faculty, staff and students from both colleges, final design concepts were created and installation plans put in place.
Each of the “Harvest of Knowledge: Innovation and Inspiration” mural’s six panels that line the walls shows a different agricultural scene interwoven with aspects of the life sciences – symbolizing how the two areas are tied together and their importance to Iowa, the nation and the world.
The SWARM (Synergistic Wisdom and Research Methodologies) mobile features more than 250 3D-printed bees and pollen suspended from a cloud in the shape of a hive.
“It’s this beautiful idea that within this umbrella of academia, you really have this cross-pollination of ideas. It’s this whole notion of how as human beings, here within Iowa State University, we exchange ideas,” Correa Díaz said of what SWARM represents.
Student involvement
The bees and pollen were made using 3D printers in the Maker Spaces of the Student Innovation Center.
Jocelyn Martin (’23 graphic design) served as lead graphic designer for the artwork, gaining valuable experience directing a team of students to create the art pieces.
“This allowed me to work with many different areas such as architecture, landscape and people in agriculture, so it was cool to be able to see everyone’s ideation come together,” Martin said.
It was important for Correa Díaz to bridge the gap between academia and professional practice through this project.
“For the students to be able to immerse themselves in that experience and to now see something come full circle, I think is really gratifying, not only for myself but for the students and for the entire team,” he said.
“It is crazy to think that this all started back in 2021 with the charrette, and since then, there have been so many people putting in hard work and planning and execution, and I think we’re all really satisfied to see the result of this effort,” said Jenna Errthum (’23 horticulture, global resource systems, world languages and cultures), whose team won first place in the charrette. She also was part of the group that decided on the final designs following the design competition.
Robison said he hopes the fourth floor art pieces become a stopping place on every campus visit and that they continue to inspire people and promote innovation.
“When you see people stop and look at the inspiration that the art represents, and inevitably they think about nature and about agriculture and about food, we feel like we’re doing our jobs, so we’re really excited about it,” Robison said.
Open house for artwork
All are invited to attend an open house for the artwork on Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 3-5 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Student Innovation Center. Carmen Bain, CALS associate dean for academic innovation, and others will share the story about this inspiring artwork. This a come-and-go event, and light refreshments will be provided.