The black plastic that covered the art on campus last week, ironically, seemed to draw more attention to the art at Iowa State.

Although through ignorance we may take it for granted, the university provides opportunities for students to further appreciate and learn more about art; museums and galleries are some of the most accessible means to do this.

For some students, visiting museums provides a break from studying. Don Rogness, graduate student in chemistry, stopped in the Christian Petersen Art Museum on the way to the lab to see the current exhibit of vibrant blown-glass sculptures.

“It’s free and on the way, and more time here is less time in the lab,” he said.

Although he is not an art student, he was interested in the current exhibition because of his involvement with the ISU Gaffer’s Guild — the glass blowing club on campus.

Iowa State has three museums run by the University Museum program: the Brunnier Art Museum, at 295 Scheman; the Christian Petersen Art Museum, located at 1017 Morrill Hall; and the Farm House Museum, located near Central Campus.

Nancy Gebhart is the educator of visual literacy and learning for the university museum program. Gebhart, graduate student in interdisciplinary graduate studies, said that on average nearly 600 people visit the Christian Petersen Art Museum per month. Gebhart said museum shows pieces from its permanent collection as well as traveling exhibitions or pieces on loan from artist or other museums.

There are also several galleries on campus — two on the third floor of the Memorial Union and one on the first floor of the College of Design.

Gallery 181 in the design building allows anyone to use the exhibition space as long as the subject matter is appropriate and there is time in the schedule. It is often used for class groups displaying projects, but individual students have also organized several exhibitions of their own.

Heather Hess, lecturer in art and design, has spent years working as a curator and exhibition designer for museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Harvard University Museum.

Hess said galleries and exhibition spaces that have rotating shows, such as Gallery 181, are able to be more current and responsive than museums with permanent collections.

“[Galleries] don’t have the responsibility for caring for that work forever, so you can show a wider range of things. It’s easier to show local artists, contemporary art,” Hess said.

University museums also provide a unique opportunity compared to bigger museums by acquiring more lesser-known work into their collections, Hess said.

Museums at Iowa State allow students to access pieces in the permanent collections that aren’t currently on display as long as museum staff are given notice ahead of time, providing a level of access to the works that wouldn’t be possible in a large museum.

Hess said this is a research resource that’s just as important as the books in the library, or the science facilities.

“If you’re a student and you’re writing a research paper, the [Museum of Fine Art in Boston] is not going to throw open its doors to you. In theory, with a university collection you should be able to ask ‘Can I handle that? Can I take it off the wall and look at the inscriptions on the back?’” Hess said.

Hess hopes having these resources on campus will help individuals get into the habit of going to museums and help them recognize the benefits of seeing art in person, such as a sense of scale and several different viewpoints.

“This idea, that museums can be a great place, I think is even more important today with digitization,” Hess said. “There’s a profoundly different experience from seeing something in person than looking at it online or in a book.”