Alderson Hall Graced with Glass Artwork The latest artwork to enhance the Mines campus is a 14 foot wide, four-story tall wall of a brightly colored glass in the atrium of the recently expanded and renovated Alderson Hall. The windows stand on the south-facing wall of the atrium, which connects the Petroleum Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Refining Departments. The two departments are hosting an open house with tours of the building from 1 3 p.m., Saturday, May 10, in conjunction with Reunion Weekend. The artwork, completed and installed in December 1996, was made possible by the state law which mandates that one percent of all capital construction funds appropriated by the state must be spent on art. The Colorado Council of the Arts coordinates all "Art in Public Places" projects, with this particular project being coordinated by Simon Zalkind, the recently retired director of "Art in Public Places." CSM has developed a comprehensive arts enhancement master plan for the entire campus which includes special art works for renovated buildings including Alderson Hall, Coolbaugh Hall and Nathaniel P. Hill Hall, scheduled for completion in the year 2000. The atrium in Alderson Hall was selected as the most appropriate place for artwork because it links the two departments that share the building. "We wanted people to walk into the building and get the feeling that they were in someplace special," said Robert Baldwin '75, head of the Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Refining Department. "Before the leaded glass was installed, the atrium was very uninviting. It gave the entrance to the building a sterile atmosphere and encouraged people to pass through quickly." Baldwin and Ramona Graves '82, associate professor and current acting head of the Petroleum Engineering Department, were the building's representatives on the Art Committee. "They requested something rather unusual," said artist Barbara Saull. "Instead of wanting the art to represent the left brained atmosphere of the two departments, they wanted something right brained." The design was created from the idea that both departments deal extensively with the concept of "flow." The abstract design was created as a collaborative effort between Saull and Michael Shields, co owners of Creative Stained Glass Studio, with their partner Matthew Durbin leading the production and Dee Brown, administrative assistant in the Petroleum Engineering Department and part time stained glass artist, assisting in the fabrication. While the design represents "flow," the subject, from a design standpoint, is the color; it leads the eye up and down the four story window. Saull and Shields orchestrated areas of color to direct the movement, or "flow," of the eye, while also incorporating focal points for all four floors. The windows are made of full antique, mouth blown glass custom ordered from all over the world as well as custom beveled and faceted pieces of one inch thick "dalle" glass. "This art piece 'warms' the atrium and makes the entire entryway more inviting," concluded Saull. "When the sun comes through the windows, the colors fall on the walls and the floor to create a very definite change in atmosphere from what existed before." Mines Magazine March/April 1997