Take a walk around Cornell’s Ithaca campus and you’re sure to stumble upon sculptures, murals, and art of every kind. We picked just a few of our favorites—don’t miss these on your next campus visit!
Artist: Jenny Sabin
Description: The PolyForm sculpture, designed by Jenny Sabin, the Arthur L. and Isabel B. Wiesenberger Professor in Architecture in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), offers a burst of color near Martha Van Rensselaer Hall.
Artist: Kent Ullberg
Description: This stainless steel whooping crane sculpture by Kent Ullberg welcomes visitors to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, next to the Sapsucker Woods pond.
Photo By: Sarah Wagner
Artist: Andy Goldsworthy
Description: Made of locally quarried Llenroc stone, this installation by Andy Goldsworthy sits along one of the Lab of Ornithology’s trails in Sapsucker Woods.
Artist: Jenny Pickford
Description: Commissioned by Anne Simon Moffat ’69 and Keith Moffat, and created by Jenny Pickford, this sculpture features leaves crafted of metal and closed blooms in purple glass. Find it along the walkway to the Nevin Welcome Center at the Cornell Botanic Gardens.
Artist: Multiple artists
Description: Visit the F. R. Newman Arboretum to get up close to these abstract, ten-ton concrete sculptures, created by Cornell undergraduate architecture students in the 1960s.
Artist: Jacques Lipchitz
Description: Created by sculptor Jacques Lipchitz in 1931 and acquired by Cornell in 1962, this sculpture now sits between Olin and Uris libraries.
Artist: milly acharya
Description: Oversized reproductions of 16 watercolors by illustrator, educator, and writer milly acharya adorn the walls of this study space in Olin Library.
Artist: Multiple artists
Description: Stained glass windows bring light to Sage Chapel. Some depict university founders and early members of the Cornell community—like Jennie McGraw Fiske, shown surrounded by bells of the Cornell Chimes.
Artist: Milstein Hall designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA
Description: Translucent seating pods between Milstein Hall and Sibley Hall are lit from within, and provide an informal gathering space that’s also used for outdoor teaching. Head inside Milstein Hall to see even more art in the Bibliowicz Family Gallery and Garden, and appreciate the building’s innovative design.
Artist: Various
Description: Find sculptures, stone work, portraits, student art, and more throughout Willard Straight Hall. Take note of the original wood carvings while you explore!
Artist: Jason Seley ’40
Description: This Greek god has been standing guard over the entrance between Uris Hall and the Statler Hotel since 1989. The 11-foot-tall sculpture, an interpretation of the Farnese Hercules, is crafted out of car bumpers.
Artist: Durand Van Doren
Description: Can you find the seven famous apples featured in this metal entry gate to Minns Garden? (Garden of Eden, Newton’s, an apple for the teacher, The Big Apple, William Tell’s apple, Snow White’s poisonous apple, and Johnny Appledseed’s apple!)
Artist: Multiple artists
Description: An obvious choice, but one you can’t miss! Visit the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (admission is free) to explore the collection of 40,000 works.
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