campus

Discover the McIntosh!

The University of Western Ontario

Art around the campus

A Guide to Public Art at
The University of Western Ontario

McIntosh Gallery Art Sites

Welcome to the 380 acre campus of The University of Western Ontario.
Since 1942 the aim of the McIntosh Gallery has been to make art part of our everyday surroundings. Over a third of some 3000 works in the permanent collection is on public display.
Browse through the campus on a self-guided walking tour to experience these public art works on your own terms.

1 McIntosh Gallery

MIHO SAWADA (North Lawn)
Homo Sapiens (1986)
Purchase, Abbott Fund, 1982
Toronto artist Miho Sawada often uses Corten steel for her
sculptures because it rusts over time, protecting it from the
elements and creating a colourful patina.

REINHARD REITZENSTEIN (East Lawn)
Western Pergola (1993)
Purchased with the assistance of Walter and Duncan Gordon Charitable Foundation, the McIntosh Fund, the Abbott Fund and the Gillian Saward Endowment Fund, 1993
This sculpture was commissioned in 1992 to celebrate the McIntosh Gallery's 50th anniversary - the second oldest university art gallery in Canada

TOM BENNER (North Lawn)
Stone Columns
Gift of Pauline McHlenry (2007)
Located just north of the Gallery building, the artwork is
actually made of fiberglas and was inspired by the Giant's
Causeway in Northern Ireland.

2 Allyn and Betty Taylor Library (Natural Sciences Centre)

DUNCAN DE KERGOMMEAUX
Grazing Cattle (1982)
Purchase, Abbott Fund with assistance from the Canada Council, 1984
This painting is typical of the London artist's interests in the interplay of
vibrant colours and organic shapes set into the Southwestern Ontario landscape.

3 Medical Sciences (Lobby)

JORDI BONET
A Mi Padre Medico (1965)
Commissioned by Medical Sciences, 1965
Bonet's ceramic mural combines abstract biological
images with symbolic elements, creating a comprehensive
vision of the spirit of medicine.

4 Social Science Centre

PETER HIDE (patio on north side of building)
Conquistador
Gift of David and Vivian Campbell, 1991
Edmonton's Peter Hide once said that if sculptors had voices like tenors or baritones, he would be a bass.
This piece's cryptic forms and sheer presence make it a compelling work.

CHRISTOPHER WALLIS
Social Science Atrium Stained Glass Installation (1986)
Commissioned by the Faculty of Social Science and
McIntosh Gallery (Abbott Fund) with assistance from
the Canada Council, 1986
Grand Bend artist Christopher Wallis has designed
and made over 500 stained glass windows throughout Canada.

Social Science Atrium Stained Glass Installation

RON MARTIN (third floor landing)
32 Tints of Bocour Aqua-Tec Acrylic (1983)
Purchase, Abbott Fund, 1984
The artist's longstanding interest in the
relationship of colour and tone is explored
in this large gridded painting.

5 University Community Centre

DOUG BENTHAM (plaza)
Untitled (1979)
Commissioned by University Students' Council, 1978
Commissioned to celebrate Western's centennial, the sculpture's cutout shapes reflect the architectural details of surrounding buildings and its blue patina refers to the blue spruce trees nearby.

Untitled

SUSAN DAY (third floor atrium)
Stare (1993-4)Purchase, Gillian Saward Fund, 1994
The artist's daily experience as the daughter of a physically challenged mother is the subject of this ceramic mural.

Stare

6 D.B. Weldon Library

PATERSON EWEN (south wall)
Ice Floes at Resolute Bay (1983)
Purchase, Abbott Fund, 1984
Internationally renowned Canadian artist
Paterson Ewen is recognized for his technique
of painting on plywood he had first routered.
The resulting rough texture accentuates the
rugged Arctic waterscape.

WALTER REDINGER (south wall)
Adhesion Wall (1968)
Purchase, University Art Committee, 1969
Redinger was among the first artists to pioneer
the use of fiberglass as a new sculptural material.
In this work, its sensuous quality underscores
the tensions underlying its organic surface.

Adhesion Wall

TOM BENNER (lobby)
Turkey Vultures (1984)
Purchase, Abbott Fund and the Canada Council, 1984

The increasing imbalance between humans and animals is an ongoing theme of London artist Tom Benner's work. Of this piece he writes: "My purpose was to bring a very shy and reclusive inhabitant of the skies down for a closer observation, a movement towards a greater understanding of its unobtrusive beauty."

7 Richard Ivey School of Business Building

ED ZELENAK (outside; south side)
Ra's Voyage…With 5 Plane Crescent (1990)Purchase,
Abbott Fund, McIntosh Fund with assistance from the Ministry of Culture and Communications, 1990
Embedded in a gently sloping mound, the sculpture harmonizes with its surroundings and connotes both age and timelessness, qualities also suggested by its reference to the Egyptian sun god, Ra.

Toronto Field

PATRICK THIBERT (outside; east side)
Toronto Field (1984)
Purchase, Abbott Fund with assistance from Wintario, 1987

This piece plays with the perception of planes and spaces;
some parts almost seem to float. The light, ethereal qualities
of aluminum make it an appropriate choice for this sculpture.

DOUG MITCHELL (outside on hill below NCMRD)
Sky Observation Platform (1999-2000)
Commissioned by the McIntosh Gallery (Gillian Saward Memorial Endowment Fund)with assistance from the Canada Council, 1999

This unique sculpture was commissioned by the McIntosh Gallery as a millennium project for the University. There are two 24' diameter arcs that deine the north/south longitudal line of the celestial sphere and the celestial equator - the path the sun and planets follow at the time of the equinox. Inside the ring is a map of a portion of Southern Ontario. From the centre of this map (the location of UWO) is a diagonal copper tube connected to the north/south arc and aligned with the earth's axis, allowing viewing of the North Star. On the concrete ring are Ontario limestone blocks for seating. The cardinal directions are designated by the names of the four winds in Iroquoian tradition. The bear is the north wind, the puma the west, the moose the east and the fawn the south. This sculpture is dedicated to the memory of Mr. E. Mitchell and Dr. C.G. Drake, who were fascinated by the movements of the sky.

8Talbot College

DAVID MAGEE (north hall)
Looking Glass Interior (1988)
Purchase, Abbott Fund with assistance from
the Walter and Duncan Gordon Charitable Foundation
and Wintario, 1988.

The surrealistic quality of this work executed in an almost
photo realistic style explores the relationships between
the interior landscapes of the mind and exterior appearances
as reflected in mirrors.

9 University College

ALAN DAYTON
Portrait of Ruby E. Mason (1986)
Purchase, Abbott Fund, 1987
Ruby Mason was the first Dean of Women at UWO.
Dayton has portrayed many Canadian luminaries, including
Margaret Atwood, Robertson Davies, William Hutt and Paterson Ewen.

Portrait of Ruby E. Mason

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10 Support Services Building

Eric Atkinson
Untitled (Say Cheese Portfolio) (1973)
Purchase, William H. Abbott Fund, 1995
A Serigraph located in the hallway near the Tim Hortens

Say Cheese Again!
A Selection from the Say Cheese Portfolio

When it opened in 1969 Say Cheese was the first and only specialty cheese boutique and restaurant in London. From the start the proprietors, Hilary and Alan Alderson, were supporters of local artists, exhibiting their work and even, at times, allowing the exchange of art for food. In 1973 Hilary Alderson asked eight London artists to "Say Cheese." The result was the Say Cheese Portfolio, a collection of eight silkscreen prints, each bearing the individual stamp of its maker. Commissioned at a time when the patronage of regional artists by the London establishment was at its height, the portfolio is a testament to the interrelationship between local businesses and artists, providing a unique example of how they can work together as a mutually beneficial business practice.

Carrie Kitzul
M.A. in Art History, 2009

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