Apotheosis at Marston Hall

Artist / Maker Amy Namowitz Worthen ((American, b. 1946))

Date2012

MediumEngraving

Dimensions19 11/16 × 17 3/4 in. (50 × 45.1 cm)

ClassificationsPrints and Printing Plates

Credit LineCommissioned by the College of Engineering. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Located in Marston Hall.

Object numberU2016.520

Status

On view

Collections

Label TextThe subject of "Apotheosis at Marston Hall" was a renovation, this one of Marston Hall, a massive 1903 Beaux Arts building with a significant component of decorative sculptures on the exterior. The dominant figures of the sculptural facade were the four females, known as the "Marston Muses" who, Worthen recalled, Dean Jonathan Wickert of the College of Engineering had asked to be “brought to life.” These classicizing females symbolized the schools of the College of Engineering in the early 20th century: civil, mining, mechanical, and electrical engineering, and all carry attributes for their various disciplines, such as a gear for mechanical engineering, a pick axe for mining, a sextant for civil, and calipers for electrical. Carved from limestone, these sculptures had suffered after a century of Iowa’s extreme weather, and they had to be extensively conserved and restored. These rescued stately symbolic figures now stand at the forefront of Worthen’s scene while graceful maidens clothed in classical garb dance joyfully between the muses and the façade of Marston Hall. These sorts of figures are often found on Beaux Arts buildings like Marston Hall, but in this case, they were inspired by the inlaid decorations on a wooden chest designed and built by Worthen’s great-grandfather. She was also influenced by a 1942 assemblage by the American artist Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), Setting for a Fairy Tale, now in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Cornell’s composition featured a massive façade (with both Gothic and classicizing features) against a dark background of barren twigs while miniaturized, elegant figures comport themselves in front. An apotheosis is the glorious process through which an ordinary mortal is transformed into a divinity – and the churches of Venice are filled with depictions of these triumphant events. Though a little unusual in America, an apotheosis of sorts is happening in Worthen’s print, as if to celebrate the almost-too-long-delayed preservation of these sculptures. The preparatory drawings and the engraving of the copper plate was carried out both in Iowa and in Venice, while the print was editioned in Venice. This trans-Atlantic production process had become commonplace in Worthen’s life, as she explained, “This piece… is emblematic of how I work now – moving between Iowa and Italy.” Excerpt from "AMY WORTHEN: THE WORLD IN PERSPECTIVE" By Lea Rosson DeLong, 2017 for University Museums, ISU

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