Take a stroll down University Avenue, look up, and you might find yourself marveling at one of campus’ most striking art pieces. Whether it’s the sheer size or the way sunlight hits the neon purple and green hues, Grainger Hall’s Library Window is sure to catch your eye.
Created by Ed Carpenter, a Portland, Oregon-based artist specializing in large-scale public installations, Library Window is composed of 75,000 glass marbles held together across 56 window panels—and can be seen from both inside and outside the building. The piece was commissioned for the Wisconsin School of Business in 1993 through Wisconsin’s Percent for Art Program, which allowed a portion of construction costs for new state buildings to be used for the permanent, public display of artwork. In 2018, Library Window was preserved when WSB transformed its Business Library into the state-of-the-art Learning Commons.
Library Window’s composition weaves together historical and modern design elements to illustrate folk patterns and computer circuitry. The piece symbolizes the idea of information storage, a critical component of libraries, computers, and business. Using marbles instead of traditional stained glass, Carpenter created a unique design that also acknowledges the neo-traditional style of Grainger Hall.