Texas Tech University System officials, the College of Architecture, and guests will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, April 20, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. at the site of the newest addition to its public art program. The sculpture, Untitled by Robert Bruno, a prominent artist and former faculty member at the College of Architecture, was recently added to the University System Public Art Collection.
Located on the corner of 18th and Flint, at the southwest corner of the Architecture building’s site, the sculpture is integrated into the space with the addition of a plaza that includes seating, landscape and information about the sculpture and Bruno.
Bruno is best known for the Steel House located in Ransom Canyon. The sculpture, Untitled, at Texas Tech is a blend of art and architecture and is said to have been the inspiration for the Steel House. Before its move to Texas Tech, the sculpture was located in a cotton field east of MLK Boulevard for 35 years, land owned by Bruno’s friends.
The purchase of the sculpture was made possible by the Texas Tech University System’s Public Art program. The program was initiated by the Board of Regents in 1998 as an investment in the campus environments at each of its institutions. Through the program, public artworks are funded using one percent of the estimated total cost of each new major capital project. Since then, over 100 items have been added to the TTU System’s campuses.
About the Texas Tech University System
The Texas Tech University System is one of the top public university systems in the nation, consisting of four component institutions—Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso—and operating at 12 academic sites and centers. Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the Texas Tech University System has an annual operating budget of $1.7 billion and approximately 17,000 employees focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach.
In 2014, the Texas Tech University System’s endowment exceeded $1 billion, total research expenditures were approximately $200 million and total enrollment approached 47,000 students. Whether it’s contributing billions of dollars annually in economic impact or being the only system in Texas to house an academic institution, law school, and health institution at the same location, the Texas Tech University System continues to prove that anything is possible.
CONTACT: Emily Wilkinson, Public Art Manager, Office of Facilities Planning and Construction, Texas Tech University System, (806) 742-2116
