Iowa State’s largest mural, “The Healing Tree” by Minnesota artist Michaela Mahady, was completed at the new Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center.

The project was set into motion in fall of 2007, and completed in May under the Art in State Buildings Committee. Kevin Flaming, committee chairman, said the mural was part of the Art in State Buildings law that requires .05 percent of all funds for public buildings be set aside for public art.

“One of my goals was to be able to not be ashamed of our artwork. I feel good about this artwork … I want to have something we can be proud of,” Flaming said.

The “Healing Tree” is an etched glass portrait that covers the front of the Lloyd Center and depicts the history of the veterinary medical school. The largest image is in the front window of the animal hospital and takes up more than two stories of glass, continuing down the window of the front corridor.

The artwork is based on what Mahady calls the “web of life,” and the circular motif that dominates the form stems from the idea the sun is the giver of all life through photosynthesis and the transfer of its energy. The circle is completed by the consumption of the plant life by the animals, and their eventual return to the soil from which they came.

The mural is an intricate piece of art that draws in passers-by and poses questions about the nature of the images. As the mural continues down the front corridor to the animal hospital, it progresses backward in the history of the school, concluding with an old horse and buggy veterinary ambulance.

Along the bottom of the corridor is a series of detailed etchings that depict photographs of medical instruments, x-rays and views through a microscope that not only draws in viewers for a closer look, but also lays the foundation for the artwork to reaffirm the responsibilities of the profession. The larger images above the small etchings depict the different aspects of veterinary medicine.

Although Mahady was the primary designer of the work, she also collaborated with faculty at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the student body. Actual photos from the school, and some suggestions from the faculty, inspired many of the images.

Mahady was chosen as the artist because of her previous artwork at Iowa State, and her sensitivity as an architect. Mahady has also done the etching at LeBaron Hall and the dairy barn.

The windows at Lloyd, Lebaron and the dairy barn were all accomplished through sandblasting. The process was done using a series of overlaying stencils that were then sandblasted layer by layer to create the different textures and designs.

Mahady has an appreciation for the work of Christian Petersen, the sculptor of the Fountain of the Four Seasons and The Marriage Ring in front of MacKay Hall, along with many other human sculptures on campus. He is known for his lifelike sculptures and emotional depth within his works, which inspired the characters and detail in Mahady’s artwork.

“Petersen sculptures are people … the figures speak to people because they are so emotionally reverent,” Mahady said.

Her admiration for the work of Petersen is apparent in her works on campus, and helps to contribute to the emotional depth and personality that maintains the strong public art tradition.