EMU Tour: Public Art and Writing

Eastern Michigan University

Mass Space

This sculpture is about rhythm and movement. What do you see when you look at it? How would it move? How does it change when YOU move around it or when you move close or far away?

César Chávez Memorial Fountain

Sit by the edge of the fountain and close your eyes. What do you hear? What emotions do you feel? Imagine yourself as a water droplet, what story would you tell?

Circular Couple

Starkweather Hall (1896) is one of the oldest buildings on campus; Circular Couple (1965) is far more modern, modeling a multigenerational relationship over many decades. Do you have any multigenerational relationships in your life with grandparents, mentors, or extended family? Write about a lesson that one of these relationships has taught you.

Ford Hall Sculpture #1

Which of these sculptures did you find the most interesting and why?

What would you call the “untitled” sculpture? Create a story to go with it.

Ford Hall Sculpture #2

Which of these sculptures did you find the most interesting and why?

What would you call the “untitled” sculpture? Create a story to go with it.

MLK Sculpture Gardens

The bust in this garden and the tablets on the brick wall represent Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights activist who inspired many to stand up for justice. Who inspires you? Write a letter to this person or write about a cause that you are passionate about.

Pease Auditorium - 9/11 Memorial

For over 100 years, Pease Auditorium has hosted events -- music, dance, lectures and art. Next to Pease Auditorium, the steel beam of the 9/11 Memorial comes from NYC's World Trade Center rubble, after the building collapsed on 9/11/01. What memories and emotions does this artifact stir up for you? How might you express your feelings in a poem or song?

#1 Mark Jefferson – Mass Space

Prompt: This sculpture is about rhythm and movement. What do you see when you look at it? How would it move? How does it change when YOU move around it or when you move close or far away?

#2 McKinney Hall – César Chávez Memorial Fountain

Prompt: Sit by the edge of the fountain and close your eyes. What do you hear? What emotions do you feel? Imagine yourself as a water droplet, what story would you tell

#3 Starkweather Hall – Circular Couple

Prompt: Starkweather Hall (1896) is one of the oldest buildings on campus; Circular Couple (1965) is far more modern, modeling a multigenerational relationship over many decades. Do you have any multigenerational relationships in your life with grandparents, mentors, or extended family? Write about a lesson that one of these relationships has taught you.

#4 Ford Hall Sculptures – Crouching, Onna, Psychic Armour of Aphrodite, Diana, Untitled

Prompt: Which of these sculptures did you find the most interesting and why?

What would you call the “untitled” sculpture? Create a story to go with it.

#5 MLK Garden

Prompt: The bust in this garden and the tablets on the brick wall represent Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights activist who inspired many to stand up for justice. Who inspires you? Write a letter to this person or write about a cause that you are passionate about.

#6 Pease Auditorium - 9/11 Memorial

Prompt: For over 100 years, Pease Auditorium has hosted events -- music, dance, lectures and art. Next to Pease Auditorium, the steel beam of the 9/11 Memorial comes from NYC's World Trade Center rubble, after the building collapsed on 9/11/01. What memories and emotions does this artifact stir up for you? How might you express your feelings in a poem or song?