An influx of new artwork has University officials planning to spread the recently-donated art across the Medford/Somerville campus.
According to President Lawrence Bacow, the newest exhibits on campus are of the utmost importance because they "inspire both the heart and the mind of students."
The Tower Gallery, located in the Tisch Library and adjacent to the Tower Caf?©, currently features several works by current students and alumnae.
The University, however, usually does not spend money on the art seen throughout the campus. "We rarely purchase art ourselves," Bacow said.
According to President Bacow, the vast majority of art acquired by the University is donated by friends of the University.
In order to make an art donation, donors must present gifts to the University Art Collection Committee for consideration.
Recent additions to the Tower Gallery include works by Tufts alumnus Allison Cann Clift, painter of Four Tents Triptych, and Walking Man No. 3 by Aaron Fink. Both works were approved by the University Art Collection Committee before being displayed.
Dr. Amy Shlegel, director of the Aidekman Gallery, explains that Tisch Library's prime location and high traffic made it a desirable location to display these latest works.
As the newly appointed director for the Gallery, Schlegel said her objectives are to make appropriate works from the collection more accessible and visible to the University community by placing more art in secure and public locations on campus "Tisch Library was a high priority space," she said.
Schlegel ultimately decides which works may be loaned and to which locations, and works with the respective department or individual in order to help them find the right piece for their interests and needs.
Schlegel worked in conjunction with Jo Ann Michalak, director of Tisch Library, while putting together the Tower Gallery art project.
According to Schlegel, the donations to the Tower Gallery are only the beginnings in terms of formal
on-campus art lending programs.
Other areas of the campus will be similarly decorated with donated art. These include the faculty dining room in Carmichael Dining Hall, the Classics department, and some of the administrative offices in Ballou and Packard Halls, Schlegel said.
Sophomore Anjin Stewart-Funai, who intends to major in art history, echoed Schlegel's enthusiasm for the spread of art beyond the Tower Gallery.
Stewart-Funai also feels as though an increased visual arts presence on campus will be alluring to prospective students. "Some people associate prestige with the prettiness of a campus. I think more art would be great, if anything just for pure aesthetic value," she said.
While some of the works may remain available for viewing for long periods of time, Schlegel says that the length of time a piece is featured depends on the medium of the work.
For example, works on paper are much more light-sensitive than paintings or sculptures. This means they must be placed under light reflective, ultraviolet Plexiglas and rotated in and out of view more frequently.
While the ability to withstand certain conditions may depend on the medium of the work itself, administrators hope that students and faculty alike will find the life and the impressions of the artwork to be everlasting.
"What better place for [art] than a college campus?" Bacow said.
