ATTENTION: WORKS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING DURING LIBRARY RENOVATION. The new Anderson Academic Commons at Penrose Library will open in March 2013. For more information, click here.
Deborah Howard, Triple Möbius, 1999, acrylics and ink on paper
Artist Statement: In mathematics, the möbius is the symbol for infinity. It has two loops and resembles the number eight lying horizontally. A three-dimensional möbius is a twisted ribbon with a surface that flows continuously from the inside to the outside. In Triple Möbius, there are three loops instead of two, making it an example of “pure math.” If you start anywhere on the painting you will travel to the outside and back to the inside continuously. The painting was inspired by a childhood memory of being with my father at a science museum and seeing a large model of a möbius ribbon. The model had a toy train that traveled on a track from the inside to the outside continuously – to a child it seemed magical. The möbius resembles the process of doing research in a library where one can discover a path that will lead from one idea to another on a journey that is cyclical and unending.
Location: Research Center
Deborah Howard, Arachne, 1999, acrylics and ink on paper
Artist Statement: Arachne was a mortal who created weavings more beautiful than the goddess Athena, who jealously turned Arachne into a spider. The painting resembles a labyrinth. Labyrinths have been used since ancient times for meditation. A labyrinth’s cyclical design leads the participant into the center and then returns them back to the entrance to begin again. Like a labyrinth, a library is a place where one can still wander and discover unexpected ideas that might lead to other ideas and new realizations.
Location: Stairwell
George Carlson, Eagle Catcher, 1973, bronze
George Carlson is one of today’s most accomplished sculptors of western subject matter and is best known for his representations of animals in bronze. In Chicago, he studied art at the American Academy of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, and later studied anthropology at the University of Arizona. His studies in Arizona led to an interest in Native American culture and Western imagery. He lives and works in northern Idaho.
Eagles are a recurring theme in Carlson’s sculpture, appearing in works ranging from the late 1960s onward. He bases these complex compositions on careful studies he makes of the birds in the wild. The eagle’s role in native traditions and their grace in motion are both attractive and significant themes for Carlson. He won a gold medal for Eagle Catcher at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame’s National Academy of Western Art show in 1974, and it is often cited as one of his most important sculptures.
Location: Second Floor, Northwest Corner
Dee Clements, Birds of Happiness, 1995 (recast 2009), bronze, 4/36
Dedicated on Oct. 30, 2009, this sculpture—titled Birds of Happiness—was installed in Penrose Library in memory of Stuart James, a DU English professor from 1957–86. Jean James, Stuart’s widow, and their daughter, Barbara James, commissioned the sculpture in 1995 from Loveland, Colo., based sculptor Dee Clements; it previously was located outdoors near Sturm Hall. The idea of a crane sculpture came from trips Stuart and Jean had taken to see the birds in New Mexico, Colorado and Nebraska, as well as the fact that cranes mate for life.
The work of Loveland sculptor Dee Clements is often inspired by his own life experiences. His tour of duty as a helicopter pilot in Korea instilled in him a fascination with the “beauty of the Orient.” The red-crown crane appears in Asian art and literature as a symbol for eternal life and longevity. He holds an MA in sculpture from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, and is a member of the National Sculptors’ Guild. He has completed numerous commissions for public sculpture in the U.S. and abroad.
Location: Second Floor, Northwest Corner
