The Campus Art Committee works to insure that the campus has a diverse collection.

The committee gathers art from a variety of sources and has the goal of enriching and stimulating the minds of the students by blending various styles and mediums. In addition to having a diverse collection, it is important to note that each piece also has it own unique history.

The "Feather Star," on display between Parks and Jackson Center, is the oldest sculpture on campus.

In the 1980s, the sculpture was one of the few objects to survive the arson fire in the old student union building. This blaze was so intense that a firefighter lost his life.

The fire also left its mark on "The Feather Star," partially melting the tip of one spire. The damage will never be repaired, as a testament to the piece's history.

Another piece of artwork, the "Firefighters Plaza," memorializes Firefighter Gary Parks, who lost his life on Feburary 16, 1987. According Campus Art Committee Chair Jeanne Leader, the new student union was also named in his honor.

The art on campus comes from artists living as near as Tulalip and Bellingham, such as James Madison, creator of "Salmon Run" and "Transformation," and Shirley Erickson, creator of "Southern Confluence."

Some of the pieces also come from distant artists, such as Gerry Stecca, creator of "Tree Wrap III," who lives in Miami.

The diverse collection of artwork on campus combines a very impressive variety of mediums and complex histories. Religious icons in Southern America inspired "Southern Confluence," which is made of found objects, mostly industrial steel and glass.

"It is important to me that I have work out in the public to have a 'conversation' with people who view it," Erickson said in an email. Taking the time to not just look at, but also interact with these artworks is essential to truly understanding them.

"Tree Wrap III" is made from clothespins, a medium that seems to transform depending on the distance the viewer is from the subject. For the artist, it represents a simpler time, when simple objects were used to perform tasks that require much more energy today.

EvCC alumnus James Madison has works displayed both in the student space in Whitehorse and the entryway in Shuksan Hall. His piece in Shuksan, "Salmon Run," is shaped from polished steel and depicts its namesake.

"Transformation" hangs in Whitehorse Hall and is also made from polished steel. It represents a supernatural creature that hunted killer whales and depicts a wolf transforming into an orca.