Bumper Crop of New Art on Campus

Three works by sculptor Jason Seley — done in his signature medium of polished chrome automobile bumpers — now grace the Ithaca College campus. Tree Trunk (right) is located in the student lounge of the new Center for Health Sciences building, Pylon II is adjacent to the reference desk in the library, and Bookstack (below) is near the Department of Art History on the ground floor of the Gannett Center. The three sculptures were donated to the College by Cornell University.

"These pieces are a wonderful addition to our campus," says professor of art history Nancy Ramage. "We owe thanks to Jason Seley and to Cornell for providing us with original works that can be both studied for their artistic substance and admired for their aesthetic qualities."

Seley, who died in 1983, taught at Cornell for many years and served as dean of the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. His "bumper" art can be found in museums and public spaces around the world. Franklin Robinson, director of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell, says Seley bequeathed many of his works to the museum with the understanding they could also be given to other educational institutions.

"Since Nancy frequently brings her students to the Johnson Museum, I thought Ithaca College would be an eminently appropriate setting for some of the sculptures," says Robinson. "Art shouldn’t be just in museums. People need to see it in their everyday lives, so it can be appreciated as a natural part of their environment."

Ramage says a great deal of the credit for obtaining the sculptures goes to two art history students — Allison Rabbitt ’99 and Bethanne Hill ’99 — who spent much of their senior year garnering support from College administrators to accept the pieces and find suitable display locations. Rabbitt and Hill also selected these particular sculptures from Cornell’s Seley collection.