Decorative step lights were envisioned for the circular staircase which serves as a focal point for the south end of the library. In 1990, three glass artists -- John Rose, Linda Ethier, and Liz Capelli -- were invited to make a proposal for the design and fabrication of cast glass sculptures to decorate (and illuminate) these stairs. In 1991, Ethier, of Portland, Oregon, was selected for the project, and in response to the selection committee’s suggestions, she used collections unique to Knight Library as the inspiration for her final designs. Ethier’s completed work, entitled Luminated Manuscripts, consists of 15 glass panels installed on the guardrails of the three flights of stairs that comprise what is now called the Solari Staircase. This staircase is named for Mary Corrigan Solari, a 1946 UO graduate, and her husband, Richard Solari, who contributed to the Knight Library expansion project. Initially installed in November, 1992, the glass sculptures were adjusted with filters in August 1993 to enhance their appearance. The panels depict a variety of figures and objects associated with library collections, and several images are based on recommendations from library staff. Thus these illuminated panels represent a unique collaboration resulting in art about the library: its environment, collections, and the people it serves. (information provided by Ed Teague, Head of the University of Oregon's Architecture & Allied Arts Library. For more detail on Ethier's Luminated Manuscripts, please view http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~ehteague/staircase/ ) For an overview on the process behind the creation of this work, please view this page created by Ed Teague: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~ehteague/staircase/ethier.html, Linda Ethier; glass; 1995; U of O Knight Library, info@lindaethier.com, http://www.lindaethier.com/, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org/
This sculpture is comprised of gold trophy pieces that come together to form the University of Oregon's iconic "O.", http://www.yaddo.org/yaddo/OnsiteBaron.shtml, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org/
A tall totem pole surrounded by grass, rocks and trees. The totem pole has four layers. The bottom layer has a snake and lizard on it; the layer above that has a large frog; above that is a bird; and the top features a moon and stars., Clay Hoffman; kinetic totem, clayhoffman@verizon.net, http://130.94.161.3/artbyclay/index.html, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org/
Contextual view of a tall totem pole with four layers. The bottom layer depicts a centipede; the layer above it displays a large frog; above that is a bird and fish; and the top has a moon, stars and other patterns., Clay Hoffman; kinetic totem, clayhoffman@verizon.net, http://130.94.161.3/artbyclay/index.html, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org/
This piece consists of a symmetrical rock sculpture that funtions as a fountain., Untitled; Marge Hammond-Farness; South Fork Forestry Camp, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Oregon Coast Council for the Arts. You may view their website at http://www.coastarts.org/
This stone relief is one of four that depicts caricatures of the seasons. This one represents summer., http://www.4culture.org/publicart/registry/parts/parts_artist.asp?ArtistID=34, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org/
This bronze wall relief depicts sports fans with their arms raised in the act of cheering on their team. The figures emerge from the wall in varying degrees of completeness, starting with the most present figures in the foreground and the least present in the background., Tom Morandi received his B.S. in Art Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1966 and his M.F.A. in Sculpture from Ohio University in 1971.He has been a Professor of Art at Oregon State University since 1989., tmorandi@comcast.net; tmorandi@oregonstate.edu, http://www.tommorandi.com/, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Linn-Benton Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.artcentric.org/
This piece consists of a collection of green, blue, and white round reflectors arranged parallel to one another to create three waves' crests. The wave in the middle is green while the two flanking it are blue., http://www.reflectorart.com/dick/index.html, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Linn-Benton Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.artcentric.org/
This sculpture is comprised of a panel of glass that presents a hologram of a woman in a white robe who is looking down at the head of a classical sculpture that she cradles in her arms. Situated in front of her and held in place by a metal armiture is a green glass piece that resembles a spinal column surrounded by flowing water., Nancy Mee; 6202 37th Ave. NE Seattle, WA 98115; 206-525-1922; Clio; 1994; glass, steel, photo sandblast on glass; 82 x 40 x 24 inches, Nancy Mee was born in Oakland, California, eventually moving to Seattle where she received a B.F.A. from the University of Washington. In 1984 she was a resident at Pilchuck School and in 1988 won the Betty Bowen Memorial Award. Mee's unique sculpture is fabricated out of fused and slumped glass and incorporates forged and cut metals. Exhibitions include the Seattle Art Museum, Bellevue Art Museum, Brooklyn Museum, San Jose Museum of Art, and the Centre International d'Art Contemporain in Chateau Beychevelle, France. Collections include Safeco, Microsoft, the Seattle Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, and the Musee des Arts Decoratives in Lausanne, Switzerland., http://dennisevans.net/index2.htm, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org/
This outdoor, rock sculpture consists of three separate components arranged in the area in front of the Hammersly Library. This particular view depicts two of the three components: a basalt boulder in the background and a basalt column in the foreground, adorned with black bands toward the top that resemble branches., Michihiro Kosuge; Commission: Western Oregon University; Monmouth, OR; "Three Elements" (2 of 3) basalt column; Library Plaza; 156 x 48 x 48 inches, http://www.laurarusso.com/artists/kosuge.html, The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Mid-Valley Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.oregonlink.com/arts/index.html