Brown moves its - um - donkey

"The reaction to the mural far exceeded our expectations," says one member of the Public Art Committee.

by Mary Jo Curtis

It's not often one hears a minister make mention of pack animals and water transportation in her prayers. But that's what happened during this year's Commencement ceremony, when University Chaplain Janet Cooper-Nelson reminded the Class of 2004 that, among the many intriguing things they learned while at Brown, they discovered donkeys come in rowboats.

Cooper-Nelson was, of course, referring to the enigmatic photographic mural that has adorned the Thayer Street facade of the Sciences Library since April.

"Commencement prayers always include defining qualities of the four years just completed. Clearly the donkey's advent was singular for these graduates, and based on their cheering response, beloved," said Cooper-Nelson. "The piece and its placement are marvelously, humorously provocative. This class will talk of it long after it is gone."

The 34-by-40-foot work by Italian artist Paola Pivi - "Untitled (Donkey)" - has delighted and amused passers-by, even prompting some to question the artist's and the University's political leanings. Now the communal viewing is about to come to an end: On or about July 15, workers will remove the photograph before hurricane season begins, undoubtedly leaving passers-by with fewer smiles in their wake.

Pivi's mural was brought to campus by the University's Public Art Committee as part of its Art on Campus program, on loan from the artist, courtesy of Galerie Massimo de Carlo in Milan, Italy. Although the young artist - she was born in 1971 - is relatively unknown in the United States, her work has been shown widely throughout Europe and Asia. "Donkey," which was included in the 2003 Venice Biennale, is part of a series of whimsical images created by Pivi in which animals show up in unexpected places - such as zebras on a snowy mountainside and ostriches in the ocean.

The committee selected the Pivi piece, in part, because of a desire to offer contemporary works by younger artists - pieces that would be more immediately understood by students. They also wanted to reach beyond the traditional definition of art and demonstrate its vitality. If shoppers in the Brown University Bookstore are any indication, it seems "Donkey" has fulfilled its mission.

"We've had many requests for posters of the donkey," said Valerie Greenless, one of the buyers for the bookstore, noting the store hasn't been able offer any prints thus far. "We've had a lot [of requests] from members of the community and tourists, but most have come from young people."

"The reaction to the mural far exceeded our expectations," added Jo-Ann Conklin, director of Brown's David Winton Bell Gallery and a member of the Public Art Committee. "It has been immensely popular. Students embraced it as a mascot of sorts, writing essays about the artist and her work and appropriating the image for use in political posters. One viewer wrote to say that it 'makes me happy every time I see it.'

"This is the kind of response that we always hope public art will generate," Conklin said. Offering this art "gives Brown a public face, and it makes the University more approachable for the community."

The Public Art Committee, an affiliate of the Corporation's Facilities and Design Committee, has been arranging for the loan of world-class works of art for display in Brown's public spaces for the past two years. Since its inception the group has brought to campus pop artist Roy Lichtenstein's 30-foot-high sculpture "Brushstrokes," which can be seen behind MacMillan Hall; his "Metallic Brushstroke Head" in the lobby of the Watson Institute of International Studies; Isamu Noguchi's "To Tallness," an 11-foot stone sculpture installed on The College Green; and David Nash's burned wood "Box Cross" on the lawn outside List Art Center. The exhibit of the pieces by Lichtenstein and Nash at the Watson and List will also end this summer. Alexander Calder's "Tripe," 1974, will be installed on Brown's front green in late August.

Chaired by Chancellor Emeritus Artemis Joukowsky, the committee includes Robert Emlen, University curator; Richard Fishman, chair of visual art and director of the Creative Arts Council; Dietrich Neumann, professor of history of art and architecture; and Conklin.