Fall 2024
Art and science intertwined
A new art installation at Washington State University Pullman brings together art and science. » More ...
Public art
Fall 2024
A public institution’s public art
Besides Washington State University’s many permanent collections in its museums, the university also has an extensive collection of outdoor artwork.
On the Pullman campus, pieces range from a life-size bronze book-figure Bookin’ by Terry Allen to Palouse Columns by Robert Maki to The Technicolor Heart, a fourteen-foot painted bronze work by Jim Dine.
A large part of WSU’s public art collection is made possible by the percent-for-art Art in Public Places program of the Washington State Arts Commission.
Take a virtual tour of the outdoor* sculptures and other installations by using this ArcGIS map which shows the locations, … » More …
Summer 2024
The place
A sign in the WSU Fine Arts Building welcomes creative students and visitors. » More ...
Winter 2014
Art in public places
In the late sixties, Harold Balazs ’51 helped build a public arts tradition in our region. Along with several members of the Washington Arts Commission, including artist Jacob Lawrence, he created Washington’s Art in Public Places program. Starting in 1974, the program began directing one-half of one percent of all state building budgets toward purchasing contemporary art. The pieces would be owned by the state but could reside at the site of the project.
Having traveled in Spain and Italy, Balazs had realized that the United States could easily support more arts and culture. “Countries in Europe do so much more than one percent,” he … » More …
Winter 2014
Finding the artist: An absurd, incredible journey
We trace the history of Harold Balazs ’51, one of the most prolific public artists in the Northwest. Settling in Washington, he has made our corner of the universe a nicer place to be.
» More ...
Fall 2012
Video: The making of Pat Siler’s Pullman mural
A video of Pat Siler and his downtown Pullman mural.
» More ...Fall 2012
Mural, mural, on the wall
Pine Street Plaza Mural, 2009-2012
Artwork by Patrick Siler
Pullman, Washington
Artist and WSU fine arts faculty member for 32 years, Patrick Siler’s outdoor wall mural “Pine Street Plaza Mural” holds a prominent position in downtown Pullman. He completes the third and final panel this summer.
The WSU Museum of Art presented an exhibition this summer—Curator’s Choice: Patrick Siler Mural—showcasing the sketches and finished drawings that were a part of the project.
Read about the artist and project in “Patrick Siler ’61—On the wall.” Or watch a video about Siler.
Fall 2012
Patrick Siler ’61—On the wall
Patrick Siler points to a crack in the wall he’s about to paint. He points to another, and another. He has to fill those. And there’s that slanted place in the concrete he has to deal with. He can’t push his lift onto the sloped surface. Maybe he’ll build a wooden platform to roll the lift onto. And the tree in front of the wall, well, he’ll figure that out when he gets to it.
“I still have quite a bit of preparatory work on this wall,” Siler says, sitting in the Thomas Hammer café where the mural is located. “I’ve done a lot of … » More …