2008 Woodie Awards
WEB EXCLUSIVE: University's Sullivan collection hits the road
Lori Bailey
Issue date: 7/30/08 Section: A&E
The SIUE Museum office may have tens of thousands of pieces of art in storage, but eight pieces of architectural ornaments are making the rounds.
SIUE is usually the home for the eight pieces of work done by architect Louis Sullivan, but for the past few months they have been on exhibition at Northwestern University. The exhibit, called "Design in the Age of Darwin: From William Morris to Frank Lloyd Wright," is in the collection because of his major influence on the development of skyscrapers and his tutelage of Wright.
Sullivan also designed a building for the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, a controversial choice at the time because of his progressive style. In fact, it was his merging of natural shapes with geometrics that made him truly memorable.
These particular pieces were mainly saved from demolition by Richard Nickel, an architectural photographer from Chicago.
"[Nickel] was interested personally in the work of Louis Sullivan," Stephen Kerber, university archivist and special collections librarian, said. "He became obsessed with saving his work, and lucky for us that he did."
Nickel in turn sold the pieces to the former associate architect at SIUE, John Randall. Some of the pieces were given a home in the Lovejoy Library before it was opened. Until they were moved for the exhibition at Northwestern, students could walk by them every day. There is still a large number of pieces on display, and even more in storage.
One student noticed immediately when the artifacts were removed for exhibition elsewhere.
"I study up here all the time, and one day there was suddenly gaps in the display," junior business major Kerri Plasterer said. "I was wondering where they went."
SIUE and Sullivan's works will be reunited soon enough, as the exhibition is only scheduled until Aug. 24.
University Museum director Eric Barnett said the university routinely loans out its collection for the benefit of academia.
SIUE is usually the home for the eight pieces of work done by architect Louis Sullivan, but for the past few months they have been on exhibition at Northwestern University. The exhibit, called "Design in the Age of Darwin: From William Morris to Frank Lloyd Wright," is in the collection because of his major influence on the development of skyscrapers and his tutelage of Wright.
Sullivan also designed a building for the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, a controversial choice at the time because of his progressive style. In fact, it was his merging of natural shapes with geometrics that made him truly memorable.
These particular pieces were mainly saved from demolition by Richard Nickel, an architectural photographer from Chicago.
"[Nickel] was interested personally in the work of Louis Sullivan," Stephen Kerber, university archivist and special collections librarian, said. "He became obsessed with saving his work, and lucky for us that he did."
Nickel in turn sold the pieces to the former associate architect at SIUE, John Randall. Some of the pieces were given a home in the Lovejoy Library before it was opened. Until they were moved for the exhibition at Northwestern, students could walk by them every day. There is still a large number of pieces on display, and even more in storage.
One student noticed immediately when the artifacts were removed for exhibition elsewhere.
"I study up here all the time, and one day there was suddenly gaps in the display," junior business major Kerri Plasterer said. "I was wondering where they went."
SIUE and Sullivan's works will be reunited soon enough, as the exhibition is only scheduled until Aug. 24.
University Museum director Eric Barnett said the university routinely loans out its collection for the benefit of academia.
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Eric Barnett
posted 7/30/08 @ 10:39 AM CST
I didn't say "it takes a lot of perpetration to transport objects." The word I used was "preparation."
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