Christian Petersen began his path as an artist at the young age of 15 after emigrating from Denmark with his parents, where he was born in 1885. In 1900, Petersen attended the Newark Technical School of New Jersey, where he began to pursue die casting.

Continuing on, Petersen attended both the Newark School of Design and the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as being a part of the Art Students League of New York, all of which would mold Petersen and his talents into his destined career, though there would be some bumps in the road along the way.

Money was tight for much of the time, and it was no different for Petersen. Because his financial pitfalls, Petersen decided to further pursue a career in die casting, leaving his sculpting on hold.

He worked at the Robins Company, located in Attleboro, Mass., although it would not be long before Petersen returned to his true passion of sculpting. He created many works in the East before a sculpture commission in Iowa was laid in his lap, due greatly to connections of his sculpting mentor, Henry Hudson Kitson.

Tonight at the recently renovated Morrill Hall, Petersen’s legacy in the art world and Iowa State will be forever etched in stone, like his many sculptures. The exhibit features more than 400 public arts and more than 700 works of art by Petersen.