Stanley Museum of Art offers sneak peek inside new building

Odili Donald Odita is an abstract painter and artist who created the mural titled "Surroundings" in the lobby of the UI Stanley Museum of Art. His work explores color in large-scale abstractions. Photo by Tim Schoon

Stanley Museum of Art spring 2022

Conor Fields works on "Surrounding," a mural located in the UI Stanley Museum of Art. The mural was created by artist Odili Donald Odita.

Alan Prazniak paints a section of the mural "Surrounding" inside the UI Stanley Museum of Art.

Alan Prazniak works diligently to make sure his work on the mural is flawless.

Artist Odili Donald Odita answers a question during the media's tour of the Stanley Museum of Art.

Painters Jenna Pirello and Alan Prazniak discuss what is next after completing a section of the mural inside the UI Stanley Museum of Art.

Painter Jenna Pirello works diligently on a lower section of the mural, "Surrounding," located in the lobby of the UI Stanley Museum of Art.

Painter Conor Fields keeps a close eye on the task at hand while working on "Surrounding," a mural by artist Odili Donald Odita located in the lobby of the UI Stanley Museum of Art.

A look through the second floor of the UI Stanley Museum of Art shows multiple walls that will give museum guests a chance to see art no matter which direction they turn.

UI Stanley Museum of Art Director Lauren Lessing addresses visitors on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

The location where Jackson Pollock's "Mural" will be placed when the UI Stanley Museum of Art opens later this year.

The finishing touches are being put on the light well, an opening within the UI Stanley Museum of Art that will provide plenty of natural light on all three levels of the building.

A view looking up through the UI Stanley Museum of Art's light well, a cutout in the middle of building that is designed to provide maximum natural light to all three levels.

By: Office of Strategic Communication | 2022.04.13 | 10:46 am

The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art allowed media inside on April 12 to meet the artist painting a mural in the lobby and to take a brief tour of the gallery spaces.

Odili Donald Odita, an abstract painter and professor of painting at Philadelphia’s Temple University, is creating a mural in the lobby that will be visible from the street level and will be the first work visitors will encounter when they enter the building.

Odita’s mural is a response to one of the museum’s collection highlights, Jackson Pollock’s 1943 “Mural.”

Odita spent time in Iowa City as a child when his parents were graduate students at the UI in the 1970s. His work draws upon a range of influences, including conceptual art, West African textiles, and the politics of space.

The museum will open to the public on Aug. 26.

Contacts:

Office of Strategic Communication, media-request@uiowa.edu

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