Art [at the] Institute*

I don't think I'm just speaking as a proud alum when I assert that the campus of Rice University (*née Institute) showcases some architectural marvels. We're reminded of the loveliness of its buildings, old and new, every time we visit. And last weekend's gorgeous weather certainly helped (perhaps the one fine weather weekend per year that Houston's allotted?).

The architectural tradition began with the very first building on campus, Lovett Hall, the main administration building now. It's the one whose majestic Sallyport opens on to the main quad that you can see above.

Here's another view of the quad, this photo taken from the sixth floor of the Library. (Most of the tall buildings in the background aren't on campus.)

Pretty nice view, eh? The formal hedges were taller in my day, but they still give the area the classical beauty of a European garden. That being the original idea, to go with the Mediterranean-style architecture. The statue in the center of the quad is that of the University's founder, William Marsh Rice. (His story is much more exciting than that of most university founders, I'd be willing to bet. Take a minute and read the last paragraph of the linked article for a quick summary of the important facts.)

The buildings on either side of Lovett Hall fit in with its style perfectly, even though they were built several decades apart. On the left above is the old Physics Building, almost as old as Lovett. While on the right is Sewall Hall, which was just being built my senior year. This end of the quad is particularly noteworthy for its buildings' beautiful arcades. I couldn't help taking lots of pictures looking down them. Here's one of my favorites, the Physics Building's arcade:

The Library building itself, which you can see through the Sallyport in the picture at the top of the post, is the exception that proves the rule. Built in the late 1940's, it's a pretty ugly structure on the outside. Inside, however, it's a much more attractive space, as well as functioning nicely as a library.

Its non-functional aspects include some quirky and some quite lovely art. For an example of the first type, check out the sculpture made with real books "growing" up the wall in the photo on the left.

Just inside the front door, they make the most of building's soaring ceilings with the lovely sculpture you see below. I took the photo during an "art tour" of the campus that we got up early for last Saturday morning. It was really interesting and gave us an even greater appreciation of the great campus. Our guide assured us that the glass "boats" in the Library's sculpture were of identical sizes. It doesn't look like it, though, does it?

Another stop on the art tour was the Engineering Quad, particularly in front of the Mechanical Lab, one of the oldest buildings on campus. The tall tower is the Campanile (another word, like "Sallyport," that I didn't realize had a broader meaning until after my Rice history of art course!) that gives the school's yearbook its name. But the really cool art in the quad is "45-90-180," three huge blocks of granite positioned at those angles. My photo just shows the 90° one but you can see a panoramic shot of all three here. Although our tour guide wouldn't admit it, these blocks just have to invite midnight clambering by adventurous students.

A smaller, but also 90° structure, is on the other side of campus, outside of Baker Hall (where we attended the Jefferson lecture I mentioned in my last post). It technically isn't a work of art but it's certainly of significance....

...being a fragment of the Berlin wall (that's Henry examining it). A very apt piece of "statuary" since the building next to it is home to the rather famous Baker Institute for Public Policy. (An ancestor of the Baker the Institute is named for—whose politics I might disagree with but who has really put Rice on the map with this organization—was instrumental in getting Willie's (William Marsh Rice's) money for the school as the old boy intended. You can read more of the lurid details here.)

We ended up our art tour in an actual art gallery. It's in Sewall Hall on the main quad and always sports interesting exhibits. The current one is a delightful recreation of a Los Angeles neighborhood. You can read more about it here. This is one of the many photos I took of its quirky, colorful "buildings."

I'll close with a view of the newest sculpture on campus, the sleek, stylistic owl inhabiting a new little garden between the Library and the Chapel. (There's another picture of the owl, with me in it, in my last post.) I was pleased this photo came out so well, highlighting the clever and attractive details of the Chapel's architecture, a good example of the lovely old trees that give so much more shade now than they did 40 years ago, and, of course, the smooth bronze of this newest incarnation of Sammy the Owl.

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I have a lot more pictures that show off various interesting/beautiful/sentimental aspects of the campus. Since I'll be on the road again over Thanksgiving week (it's our first time to be in Colorado in the month of November—we're hoping for enough snow to do some skiing around working on our house up there) I won't have time to do much full-fledged blogging for a while. But I'll pick out some favorite pictures and do a Wordless Wednesday (and possibly some other days, too) post or two when I get a chance.