The Arts Our Campus

8 things you didn’t know about art at Loyola

By Scott Alessi

Visitors to any of Loyola University Chicago’s campuses are greeted by a variety of different types of art: statues, sculptures, paintings, and other works are woven throughout the University’s grounds. Like all pieces of art, each one has a unique story. Some were created for Loyola to represent a part of the University’s history or mission. Others came to campus after being part of art collections around the world. Some have a deeper meaning that may not be evident upon first glance.

Here are fun facts about 8 recognizable works of art at Loyola:

Father Damen was chiseled from 10,000 pounds of stone

Loyola's founder, Arnold Damen, S.J., is a larger-than-life icon. Creating his likeness required a 10,000-pound stone block to be expertly chiseled by local artist Walter Arnold of Elgin, Illinois. The statue was installed on the West Quad in 2015, and Arnold put the finishing touches on it after it was in place.




This is a replica of 16th-century astronomer's tool

When Italian-born Jesuit Matteo Ricci, S.J., landed in China in 1583, he dreamed of bridging East and West. The mathematician and astronomer brought a host of Western tools to the Chinese, including astronomical instruments like the armillary, which depicts the celestial orbits at the time of Ricci's visit. The original can be found in the Beijing Observatory but this replica, cast in Beijing, found a home on the Lake Shore Campus in 2013.




These wolves have a twin in Mexico—and California

The iconic wolf and kettle, or Los Lobos de Loyola, represent the legend of St. Ignatius being so generous that he fed even the wolves. But the statue isn't unique. It was inspired by a similar, though not identical, version at Ibero-American University in Mexico City. Loyola commissioned the artist, Francisco “Pancho” Cárdenas, to create one for our campus, and it arrived just in time for Wolf and Kettle Day in 2012. The University of San Francisco was similarly inspired by the Mexican version, and they tapped Cárdenas to make one for them in 2011.




This moon's material is a billion years old

Renowned British sculptor Emily Young is known for her series of lunar and solar discs, which she says are “like angels, heavenly bodies, stars, whirling in dark space.” Her works take on the unique characteristics of the stones they are carved from; this piece, titled Lunar Disc I, is made of billion-year-old, semi-translucent onyx. It was a gift to Salisbury Cathedral in England in 2004, but made its way to Loyola in 2010.




The artist behind these paintings is a biologist

A series of 14 oil paintings hanging in the Quinlan Life Sciences Building reflect a broad array of biological topics, including animal organ systems, plant development, and bacteria. There's a good reason why artist Hunter Cole chose this subject matter—she holds a PhD in genetics. Cole was commissioned to create this exhibit while teaching a course in Loyola's biology department in 2016 on, appropriately enough, Biology through Art.




The Cuneo crest weighs 350 pounds

Artist Camp Bosworth of Marfa, Texas, is an expert at creating beauty out of wood. He made this shield, which has hung in Cuneo Hall since 2012, out of black walnut and gold leaf to honor the Cuneo family, who have generously supported the University over the years. The design bears the family crest, with elaborate half-moon faces, griffins, and cherubs. And proving that everything is bigger in Texas, the piece measures 7.5 feet tall by 6.5 feet wide and weighs in at 350 pounds.




Ignatius sits in two places on campus

Jesuit poet James Hasse, S.J., once referred to St. Ignatius as “a saint at a desk,” referring to the countless hours the Jesuit founder spent writing. Students at the Health Sciences Campus in Maywood see this statue of Ignatius at his desk in their courtyard, but he can also be found with pen in hand inside the Information Commons in Rogers Park. Careful observers can spot subtle differences between the two recreations of the seated saint.




This angel originally resided in the famed Kew Gardens

The Wounded Angel statue near Madonna della Strada Chapel has become an iconic symbol of Loyola’s mission, but our campus was not the statue's original home. The marble sculpture, another work by Britain’s Emily Young, was created in 2003 and displayed in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. It remained there until 2010, when it was purchased by Loyola and moved to its current location.