Lubbock Art, Music Star in Kansas City

Already one of the top 10 university public art collections, Texas Tech makes a splash in the Kansas City Star.

Written by Gretchen Pressley

From Buddy Holly, to the Depot District, to the well-known sculptures around the campus, Lubbock is known by its residents and the nation as a place to find impressive art and music.

"Like it in Lubbock: Art and music thrive in Lubbock, Texas," written by Allen Holder and featured in the Kansas City Star on Jan. 7, describes the efforts taken by Texas Tech to beautify the campus and assemble an art collection without rival at any other university in Texas.

Related

May 31, 2006

Texas Tech Public Art Program Named One of Ten Best

Texas Tech University's Public Art Collection and Program has been named one of the top 10 university public art collections in the nation by Public Art Review.

Cecilia Carter Browne, public art manager for the Texas Tech University System, said the recognition is an important acknowledgment of the program's success.

"It’s remarkable because we have a very young program here at Texas Tech," said Carter Browne. "We only really got started in May 2001, so something like this is a great source of pride for the University Public Art Program, as well as outstanding exposure for Texas Tech."

“We have public art associated with our Lubbock and Amarillo campuses, and we have an artist beginning work on our El Paso campus, too," Carter Browne added. "We are working with some of today’s leading artists. It is a growing treasure trove of public art that stresses the importance of the arts in our daily lives and fosters a culture of learning. I believe Texas Tech’s University Public Art Collection will demonstrate how the arts can stimulate the cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of a campus and community."

Artists whose works are included on the Lubbock campus also have praised Texas Tech's program.

"I think people are going to take notice of Lubbock, just because of this program," said Jesús Moroles, a Texas sculptor whose monumental granite works at Texas Tech include "Lapstrake" and "Square Spiral Arch: A Portal of Discovery."

"By the end of the year, there will be no collection in Texas that will rival the Texas Tech collection."

Mike Mandel, an artist whose monumental photorealistic mosaic work is in Texas Tech’s Jones AT&T Stadium, added praise.

“In contrast to some other major universities who only invite the usual suspects, Texas Tech has commissioned a significant roster of artists of great range to create a rich program in a part of the country where art is needed the most,” he said.

Numerous university collections and programs were nominated, and then the top ten were selected by members of the Americans for the Arts' Public Art Network.

The other universities named to the list include Arizona State University in Tempe, Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan., the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Pratt Institute in New York City, the University of California in San Diego, the University of South Florida in Tampa, the University of Minnesota, Western Washington University and Wichita State University.

“We are extremely honored to be listed along side these wonderful collections,” said Carter Browne. “Some of these universities have been building their public art collections for decades.”