APSU Public Sculpture Loan Program
In 2024, Austin Peay State University launched a Public Sculpture Loan Program to bring large-scale, outdoor sculptural works to the Art + Design Quad on campus. Selected works are displayed for two-year loan periods, in partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the APSU Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts.
Artists selected for the program receive a professional, public installation on a collegiate campus along with an honorarium for the duration of the two-year loan.
The program aims to create a dynamic, engaging environment that enhances the daily experience of APSU students, faculty, and visitors. Each selected work demonstrates strong conceptual depth while challenging traditional ideas about the role of public art in shared spaces. Works are professionally executed, visually compelling, and appropriate for a public university setting.
Current Works on View
The following sculptures are currently on display in the Art + Design Quad, located between the Trahern and Art + Design buildings.
Cracked Earth — Araan Schmidt
Cast iron and steel, 2022
Cracked Earth is a twenty-sided sphere of identical triangles, its surface shaped by a digital landscape of fissures drawn from a photograph of cracked earth. Cast at Sloss Historic Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama, the work merges traditional iron casting with 3D digital modeling. Learn more about Cracked Earth and Araan Schmidt
Dumpty Humpty — Brett Douglas Hunter
Papercrete, stucco, EPS foam, acrylic paint, 2019
Dumpty Humpty is a bold, four-sided mixed-media sculpture presenting a whimsical combination of smiling and frowning faces. Nashville-based self-taught artist Brett Douglas Hunter explores joy, grief, and social commentary through simple, striking form. Learn more about Dumpty Humpty and Brett Douglas Hunter
Twist — Howard Russo
Steel, 2016
Twist is a 63-inch steel sphere constructed from square-profile rods cut, bent, and welded into place. Left untreated, its surface develops a natural patina of rust over time—a balance of positive and negative space that gives the work a sense of volume without mass. Learn more about Twist and Howard Russo
Resources for Educators
K–12 lesson plans and educational resources tied to the current sculpture installations will be available here.