College campus Archives - nashville public art

Oz Arts Inside/Out, Part 4

Seems I missed one of the Oz Arts Inside/Out installations when I first reported on them. There is, in fact, a display at Meharry Medical College. Many of the people in this mural are wearing Meharry gear, and there was a shoot for the project at Meharry last June, so I’m assuming all of these people are Meharry folk. See Part 1 for more details. The two blocked faces are below.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Located at 1003 Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Blvd, on the east facing wall of the Office of Information and Technology (otherwise know as the Computer Center, per the sign). The Computer Center lies on the block between Meharry Blvd. and Albion Street. This is dead in the middle of a large university complex (Fisk University is across the street), so parking is problematical. There is a paid parking garage on Albion. The spaces in front of the mural are reserved, though for a quick visit in the late afternoon you can probably get away with using them.

March 8, 2017 3

The older part of Vanderbilt University campus, roughly that part bordered by West End to the north and the medical center to the south, between 21st and 24th Avenues, is something of a sculpture garden. Scattered around the grounds are a few statues of people important in Vandy history, as well as some more abstract and “art for art’s sake” pieces. This is my favorite, the “Tree of Learning,” by Greg Wyatt (2000), a gift of the Newington-Cropsey Association. Look close and you’ll notice the trunks are made of human forms. The tree, appropriately, is directly in front of the entrance to the main library, though it wouldn’t look too out of place in front of a haunted house!

Located in front of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library on Library Lawn on the Vanderbilt campus. The library backs up onto 21st Avenue near the corner with Scarritt Place. If you know where SATCO is, just cross the street there and walk up the stairs straight ahead that lead up to Library Lawn. Parking anywhere near Vanderbilt is problematic. Expect to pay or walk a few blocks. Wander the grounds to see the rest of the sculptures. The library has open stacks, so pop in and learn something!

Run, run, run!

How public is art on a campus slowly being encircled by fences and gates? Well, even if the TSU campus were locked up tight, this lady would be visible from the road. Built about six years ago, at 46 feet tall the Olympic Statue (sometimes called the Olympian Statue or the Olympic Torch Runner Statue) was created by TSU art professor Jane-Allen McKinney. It honors the long history of TSU Olympians, notably Wilma Rudolph, who won three gold medals for running events in 1960 and a bronze in 1956. The names of TSU Olympians are inscribed on the base.