A new mural, to honor Iowa State’s founder, will be placed on the ISU campus.

In 1858, Iowa Governor Ralph Lowe signed the law to create an agricultural college, Iowa State College, said Stacy Brothers, administrative assistant interim public relations coordinator of the University Museum.

The mural will be installed and dedicated in a location to be announced on March 22, 1998, the 140th anniversary of the signing and founding of ISU by former Governor Lowe, Brothers said.

The painting will begin in September through October and will then be unveiled in November.

“The mural is Iowa State’s contribution to the Sesquicentennial celebration. The whole theme is to celebrate Iowa State’s past and to look to the future as the best land grant institution,” Brothers said.

The mural deals with issues such as new technology transfer, arts, humanities, human resource extension, family and agriculture, said Brenda Jones, ISU art and design professor.

“It is very eclectic, but visually, everything will come together and that is how a land grant university is,” Jones added.

The painting will be done in the Brunnier Art Museum so people can view the painting during the regular museum hours, Brothers said.

The completion of the mural is to be in November of this year and then the mural will tour the nation from December 1996 through 1997.

Following the process of the Grant Wood murals in the library, a national artist, Doug Shelton, will design the mural, and ISU art and design professors, national and internationally known artists, Donna Friedman and Brenda Jones and seven ISU art and design students will help Shelton paint the mural, Brothers said.

Wood also hired people to help paint the library murals, so in the same theme, the artists for this mural have been hired, she said.

This is a little bit of history that will always be a part of the university, Jones said.

“This is a wonderful group of people that are working and trying to make this happen,” Jones said.

The ISU students will receive three credit hours for their work with the mural. The students were very enthusiastic about the mural and submitted work to be selected to help paint it, Jones said.

“I think it is a privilege, for myself as an artist, to be a part of this,” Jones added.

Shelton is originally from Des Moines and has several murals in his hometown, including one in the Kirkwood Hotel, one in the police headquarters and also in the skywalk system.