The
University unveiled a 130-foot-long by 10-foot-tall painting on
canvas, entitled “Of Thought and Reason,” during an
Aug. 28 ceremony at the Ferris Library for Information, Technology
and Education. The painting, which is “an allegory about
the history of ideas and the generation of knowledge,” according
to its creator Robert Barnum, now graces FLITE’s extended
study area.
Barnum, an associate professor of Fine Arts
and Ferris’ artist-in-residence, was named Michigan Artist
of the Year last spring at the 17th Annual Governors’ Awards
for Arts and Culture.
The 400-pound canvas was painted in an abandoned
racquetball court in the University’s Alumni Building and
then transported to its new home in FLITE. In order to complete
the painting, Barnum had to construct a free-standing wall in
this “studio” to complete the stretching of the canvas.
“The interesting thing about a task of
this magnitude is that every step proved most difficult,”
said Barnum. “It was very hot and humid the day we rolled
up the cloth and moved it to the library, so just that was a challenge.”
Once successfully moved to FLITE’s extended
study area, two separate scaffolds had to be constructed—one
for Barnum and workers, and a second to hold the slowly unrolling
canvas.
“It looked like a giant roll of paper
towel in a holder,” Barnum said.
Most paintings of such scale are painted directly
on a wall or other surface; however, that makes them vulnerable
to damage that cannot be repaired. The durability of canvas assures
that the painting can be repaired or moved in the future.
Barnum’s mural will be in good company
at FLITE. The library showcases hand-pulled prints by such important
artists as Leonard Baskin and Donald Saff, which are a part of
the University’s Canadian Collection of prints. FLITE’s
main reading room is the site of Michigan artist Mark Chatterley’s
evocative sculpture, “Journey to the Body Collective,”
which is part of Ferris State’s campus-wide Art Walk.
“Barnum’s mural provides yet another
dimension to the cultural richness that visitors to FLITE have
come to expect,” said Richard Cochran, dean of the library
and Ferris’ chief information officer. “Visitors to
FLITE will never quite think about libraries in the same way after
they’ve seen this building and its art.”
Speakers at the unveiling included Barnum, Cochran,
Ferris President David Eisler and featured speaker Dr. Betsy Dillard
Stroud, an artist and art historian based in Scottsdale, Ariz.
