Friday is the last day that you might notice a large, imposing head guarding the entrance to the regular exhibit space at the College of Design.

The space is full of artwork made by ISU landscape architecture and community and regional planning majors on a trip they took to Rome last summer. Sixteen students made the trip June 1 to July 31, and visited many historically important architectural sites during their stay.

The head is inspired by one in the Park of the Monsters, located north of Rome. It was developed in the 16th century by various architects, and is one of the most famous works from that area. It is carved out of rock and covers the entrance to a cave with a little furnishing.

However, the head at Iowa State is a canvas painting done by ISU seniors in integrated studio arts Chris Gordon, Eric Nicpon, and Ben Witmer.

“We wanted to do something showy something that would grab people’s attention,” said Michael Martin, associate professor of landscape architecture.

The room contains all the art work done by the students, plus various collages and photos from their time in Rome. But instead of just hanging things on the wall or having a book of their work, all the pages are strung from the ceiling on strings weighed down by wooden dowels.

Martin was the leader of the trip along with Lauren Golden, landscape architecture professor from Italy. There are approximately 1,000 pieces of art in the room, all done by students on the trip.

“We were required to do one drawing a day of something we found interesting,” said John Tracy, junior in community and regional planning. “It was over way too fast.”

And while only one drawing a day was required of the students, they were encouraged to do more, or just jot down anything they found interesting.

The trip was expensive though. Around $12,000 was required for each student to live in Italy for the two months.

“We were going to have community and regional planning and landscape architecture separate on the trip, but it was too pricey,” Martin said.

Martin did say that it was worth it. He said actually living in the city, as opposed to just passing through or staying for a few days, really helped immerse the students and help them stay focused on their art.

The exhibit closes Friday, so go take a look at the art before it’s too late.