Artist: Robert Barnum
Robert Barnum is renowned for his murals such as "Of Thought and Reason", a 130-foot by 10-foot high mural on canvas located on the serpentine wall of the Extended Study Area of the Ferris Library for Information, Technology and Education (FLITE). The huge mural "traces the history of humankind from the Paleolithic era to the present and into the Brave New World of tomorrow." Installation of the finished painting took place in Fall of 2003. The many windows overlooking the University’s quad supply plenty of natural light for viewing the work.
"I view making art the way climbers view mountains -- it isn’t the peak you last conquered that’s important, it’s those other mountains you have yet to climb," Barnum said. "What inspires passion is the level of challenge. Without passion, making art is reduced to technique. Uninspired process is just duplication. In order to move forward, art requires the artist to take risks. This mural is part of my attempt as an artist to resist becoming complacent and satisfied with past work."
