Iowa is respected worldwide for its sculpture and intermedia programs, with notable alumni such as Charles Ray (1953-), Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012), and Ana Mendieta (1948-1985).
Iowa's intermedia program—the nation's first interdisciplinary art program—was established in 1968 by Hans Breder (1935-2017), who is celebrated as an originator of intermedia art.
Today, our faculty continue to lead the sculpture and intermedia disciplines, exhibiting internationally—including in biennial Faculty Art Exhibitions on the UI campus—and lecturing widely.
Sculpture and intermedia facilities
Facilities for sculpture work
We offer top-tier sculpture facilities that are second to none in our Visual Arts Building (VAB) that opened in 2017. Our faculty and students have 24-hour access to studio spaces. Additionally, there are six galleries for booking exhibition space.
In our shop facilities, sculpturers can investigate both traditional and experimental approaches to materials and processes. We have a dedicated lab for research and experimentation with installation, projections, or performances. The flexibility of the area allows you to produce handmade paper and work with a 6'x4' vacuum table. We also have three sewing machines for those who work with fabrics. Wax and plaster rooms allow for learning about these materials and all their possibilities for casting and forming. In the woodshop, there is equipment and hand tools to address all of your needs.
The metal foundry/fabrication area has a wide array of hot metal fabrication processes available, including MIG welding, TIG, spot welding, manual plasma cutting, and a gas forge. Bronze, aluminum casting, and ceramic shell are part of our foundry. A sizeable sandblasting cabinet and spray booth are included. Sculpturers can cold form metal using our slip-roller, finger brake, and pneumatic shear or use metal lathes and milling machines, a cold saw, and many other tools in our machine shop. In our prototyping area, there is access to an electronics lab and the latest computer-aided fabrication tools with CNC plasma cutter, 4x4 laser cutter, CNC router, 3D printing and Waterjet cutting.
Facilities for intermedia work
In our program, we offer top-tier intermedia facilities, including state-of-the-art Mac-based labs support high-definition video production and 5.1 channel surround sound engineering.
Video projectors, Smart TVs, HD and 4K Canon cameras (both video and DSLR), Rode microphones, Lowel light kits, Tascam audio recorders, speakers, high-capacity external hard drives, tripods, and other accessories are available for checkout by our faculty and students.
We share digital printing facilities with graphic design and offer gallery, project, and studio spaces for the development and presentation of new work.
Visiting artists in sculpture and intermedia
- 2024
Santiago Cal, Lecture
- 2023
Catalina Ouyang, lecture
Cassils, lecture sponsored by the UI School of Art and Art History - 2022
Allan Wexler, lecture
SANELA JAHIC, lecture - 2021
Rashaad Newsome, lecture
Henrique Oliveira, lecture
Esperanza Cortes, lecture - 2020
Mahwish Chishty, lecture
- 2019
Chico MacMurtrie, lecture
- 2017
Wafaa Bilal, lecture
- 2015
Shanai Matteson and Colin Kloecker, "Public Art, Place and Purpose"
Eduardo Kac, lecture - 2014
Laurie Jo Reynolds, with collaborators from Tamms Year Ten
Matt Freedman, lecture - 2012
Anthony Castronovo, "SyZyGy: Alignment of Heavenly Bodies" lecture series
- 2011
Gina Badger, lecture
Ashley Hunt, artist talk and performance of "Notes on the Emptying of a City"
John Grade, lecture
Diana Al Hadid, lecture - 2010
Dr. Steven Kurtz, "Fear and Cultural Production" lecture
Sam Gould of RED76, lecture
Marisa Olson, lecture
Kristin Jones, lecture - 2009
Sara Black of the artist collective "Material Exchange," lecture
"People Powered," lecture
Molly Mason, "Sun and Shadow" lecture
Robin Hill, lecture - 2008
Analía Segal, lecture
- 2007
Victoria Palermo
Willie Cole - 2004
El Anatsui
Sculpture and intermedia faculty
Isabel Barbuzza
Jack Honeysett
