Outdoor Sculptures

‌The UNI campus features many large outdoor sculptures. Most of these works are the result of Iowa Code 304A.10, which requires that one half of one percent of the budget for new or significantly renovated state buildings be devoted to the purchase of works of art.

Over the last thirty years, local and nationally-known artists have worked in various media to produce the large pieces scattered around campus. The installation of some pieces has provoked storms of critical reaction. Other pieces seemed to fit so well into the landscape that few people noticed them.

Staff in the Special Collections Division of the Rod Library have compiled information and selected images relating to most of the major outdoor pieces of sculpture on campus. If you need more information about these sculptures, other campus artworks, or different facets of UNI history and tradition, please visit or call Special Collections.