The Brunnier Art Museum is closed now, but inside there is a bustle of activity. The smell of fresh paints wafts through the area as staff touch up walls. Works of art and sculptures are covered in drop cloths, waiting to be positioned in just the right spot.
People shout questions and answers back and forth as they sidestep ladders.
Come Tuesday, Aug. 22, the chaos will be gone and the Brunnier's doors will open. On exhibition will be the legacy of an artist who came to Iowa State intending to stay a few months. Twenty-one years later, he was still here and had literally changed the face of campus. Christian Petersen's works of art are familiar sights around campus, from the Fountain of the Four Seasons outside the Memorial Union to the Gentle Doctor sculpture at the Veterinary Medicine College. This fall, the University Museums will celebrate its 25th anniversary as it highlights Petersen's art through a retrospective exhibit, Christian Petersen, Sculptor, at the Brunnier Art Museum.