Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies is about to see things a little differently from its window.

Hinds Hall, the building that houses the iSchool, began renovations in 2003. The finished building was sleek and modern with one exception – six window wells on the ground floor faced drab concrete. The iSchool invited SU community artists to submit work that would brighten up the view.

‘Not often does a school have the opportunity to involve their artistic colleagues in perfecting their environment, but we had that chance,’ said Elizabeth Liddy, dean of the iSchool.

The Windows Project received 34 submissions from artists across many disciplines. The submissions were narrowed down to 12, then to the six that made it onto the windows. The artists – Margie Hughto, Darcy Van Buskirk, Errol Willet, Gail Hoffman, Clare Olsen, Anne Cofer and Thomas E. Day – were honored at a reception in Hinds Hall Wednesday.

‘Each piece of art brings something different to the building,’ said Jaime Snyder, co-manager of the Windows Project.

Hughto’s piece, which received the Dean’s Design prize, reflects the mission of the iSchool – her sculpted tiles include a keyboard, a thesaurus, a camera and other tools that collect and disseminate information.

Other pieces are more abstract. Van Burskirk spelled the abbreviation ‘misc.’ in chrome-plated steel, while Day constructed 12-foot-tall Plexiglas towers. All of the art will become part of SU’s permanent art collection.

‘There were really no limitations to what the artists could do,’ Snyder said. ‘All the artists crafted what they saw as a reflection of the iSchool in their own ways.’

When Snyder and her co-manager, Anne Cofer from the College of Visual and Performing Arts, began the project, they were not sure it would even work.

‘I had no idea whether this project would be successful,’ Snyder said. ‘But it turned out way better than we had even hoped.’

Snyder said she is thrilled with the way the project evolved from a way to make the building more modern into a total expression of the spirit of the iSchool.

‘It shows that we are curious, that we like to play, like to explore, like to collaborate,’ she said.

The project itself was the result of collaboration. Students, faculty and staff from the iSchool, the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the School of Architecture all played a role in making the Windows Project a success.

‘The project would never have been possible without the help of so many people,’ Snyder said. ‘So many people came together to help the iSchool and make it a more interesting place to be.’

ertocci@syr.edu

Published on October 28, 2009 at 12:00 pm