Bronze, plaster, copper, or marble the sculptures dispersed throughout the campus stand as a symbol of pride for the campus and bring unspeakable beauty throughout. When walking along the campus you can see many different types of art and observe many differ artists work. As you walking past Parks Library though one piece stands out among others. The Left Sided Angel, a cast bronze sculpture made by Stephen De Staebler brought to Iowa State University in 1986 commissioned by phi kappa phi honors society. This piece has had a rich love hate relationship with many throughout its years on campus. Many considered it obnoxious and gaudy or just straight up hideous. Others viewed it as beautiful, majestic or relatable a complete contrast to the others opinions. It left some groups wanting it to be removed or sold to someone else and others wanted to see it stay in the end it did in fact end up staying and becoming a facet outside of Parks Library for the past 30 years. The Left Sided Angle not only stands as a reminder that Iowa State University is land grand based but also emphasizes opinions and viewers outlook on topics relating to fragility vs the strength of people. The Left Sided Angel was artist Stephen De Staebler’s works that portrayed a commonality throughout his work, specifically resilience and fatigue. The form itself is torn and shredded or worn down. The piece’s medium is made from cast bronze a practice that allows the forms to stand on their own and allows them to be top heavy without the fear of them toppling over like a ceramic sculpture might. While wing, liked structures were not the only focused or present in every piece done by De Staebler it was becoming more present in his bronze work now that he had a medium to scaffold his growth in the field of art. The place the University and artist choose to place the sculpture was to the left of parks library beside the doors in the shadow of the tress and building. This is important because it appears the angle is rising in the shadow of a symbol of higher learning. It is also positioned so that many can see the sculpture and appreciate its message as it is practically a corner stone near the hub and lawn. Iowa State University has the largest collection of art on campus than any other in the nation.
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This foot has been made possible by the 1979, the Iowa Art in State Buildings legislation, mandating that one-half of one percent of new construction or remodeling funds to be used to acquire public art. It also incorporated the land-grant mission philosophy which is a democratic process in which decisions regarding public art associated with new buildings be made in conjunction with each of the buildings’ public art acquisitions committees. These committees are made up of faculty, staff and student which allows the pieces to truly reflect populous of Iowa State University. The most common commission pieces include use of the human figure, mythology, or any pieces related to literature and poetry. The Left Sided Angle not only a form of human figure but also is a representative of the land grant mission in that it emphasizes diversity in opinion as not everyone likes the sculpture or finds it unsettling. The Left Sided Angle is a symbol of strength in that it
This foot has been made possible by the 1979, the Iowa Art in State Buildings legislation, mandating that one-half of one percent of new construction or remodeling funds to be used to acquire public art. It also incorporated the land-grant mission philosophy which is a democratic process in which decisions regarding public art associated with new buildings be made in conjunction with each of the buildings’ public art acquisitions committees. These committees are made up of faculty, staff and student which allows the pieces to truly reflect populous of Iowa State University. The most common commission pieces include use of the human figure, mythology, or any pieces related to literature and poetry. The Left Sided Angle not only a form of human figure but also is a representative of the land grant mission in that it emphasizes diversity in opinion as not everyone likes the sculpture or finds it unsettling. The Left Sided Angle is a symbol of strength in that it