A Cultivated Beauty

Object NameMural

Artist / Maker Louise "Ouizi" Jones ((American, b. 1988))

Date2021

MediumAcrylic on wall

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineCommissioned by University Museums with funds from the Joyce Brewer Acquisition Fund, and the Neva Petersen Endowment. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberU2021.171

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextArtist Statement: At first inclined to feature prairie plants exclusively, I’ve since discovered that prairie plants alone would not tell an accurate story of Ames. Native prairie used to cover 75 to 80 percent of Iowa’s landscape; but now less than 0.1 percent of that original prairie remains, scattered throughout small pockets across the state. It’s an incredibly rare and precious landscape to behold. However, the campus of Iowa State University has its own unique natural beauty and history. ISU is a land grant university. Morrill Hall (where the mural is located) is named after former Vermont Congressman and Senator Justin Smith Morrill, who created the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act. The 1862 Act granted land and funding for colleges to promote practical educations in agriculture and mechanical arts in order to further the success of the industrial classes. In turn, the focus on agriculture, horticulture, and conservation has cultivated the beauty of ISU. The campus is now a lush, colorful display of native and garden varieties of every plant and flower imaginable, including but not limited to the ones selected for this bouquet. Featuring: A bouquet composed of pink peonies, a Buck rose from the Anderson Sculpture Garden, two classic prairie wildflowers (Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and Prairie Rose (Rosa blanda), and a Regal Fritillary butterfly.

Locations