Touring Seattle University's Under-the-Radar Art Collection

George Tsutakawa's Centennial Fountain, in Seattle U's Quad

As a relatively young city, Seattle doesn't have a large number of major art collections in public or private hands. Though our art benefactors have been generous and shown a fine eye for great art, Seattle can't stand up to the magnificent art collectors and collections in cities like San Francisco, New York, or even Los Angeles.

So local art lovers have to do a little more legwork to enjoy the pleasures of seeing art. One great source for viewing art is to take in the fine art collections in the corporate or organizational world. To take in one of these fine collections, start at Seattle University's central campus on Capitol Hill.

Seattle U has done a great job of integrating art into the public areas of many of its buildings, and a tour of some of the best art is both fulfilling and easy; it won't take more than an hour to see the best works. All buildings are open weekdays during business hours, and most are open outside of that, even on the weekends, so there really isn't a bad time to go. After, pop into Cafe Presse or Stumptown for refreshment and post-viewing conversation.

Start your tour at the far north end of the campus, just off Madison. The first work of art is a building, the award-winning Chapel of St. Ignatius designed by Bremerton-born architect Steven Holl.

The chapel is a magnificent work; surely one of the finest examples of modern architecture in the city. Holl followed his brief closely on this building. It subtly draws you in with clean, simple lines, and then invites contemplation. It's a spiritual house, but not overly tied to any one religion. Seattle U is a Jesuit school, but the chapel invites all to worship and pray.

Light pours in from colored windows, then deflected with walls that throw color around the room. The building is a prism, and justly so, since religion is a prism of life.

Don't forget to stop by the small sanctuary at the far north of the building [the work of artist Linda Beaumont]. Stunningly decorated with a tree holding one lantern, the walls are coated with a soft wax. The room feels alive with silent motion.

Leaving the chapel, head south along the central campus walkway. Off to the right is the Albers School of Business and Economics building. Don't go inside just yet.

Off to the left is a small garden area with a golden monolith punctuated with images of faces. It's a monument to the eight Jesuits who were brutally murdered in El Salvador on November 16, 1989. In many ways, the world has moved on from those murders by the U.S.-trained army of El Salvador, but this monument reminds us that the world is often not safe for those who wish to teach and worship. Unfortunately, Seattle U, like many universities, doesn't have the time or resources to identify the artists of all their campus art. This fine piece carries no obvious attribution.

Inside the Albers building, the viewer is welcomed by a good Chihuly, Accendo (2006). Chihuly is ubiquitous in Seattle, but Accendo, in deep reds and yellows, is a nice piece of work, and well placed in the lobby.

Up on the second floor, there is rotating gallery space currently exhibiting work from the "Seeds of Compassion" exhibition. Not all the works here are great, but there is a nice spirit in all the works. Back outside, continue heading south until you reach Sullivan Hall to the left. Sullivan Hall is home to the School of Law and is currently serving as the interim library. The visitor is met at the door by Jacob Lawrence's Lawyers and Clients, a serigraph from 1994.

A former Dean of the Law School oversaw the construction of the hall and insisted on art being an integral part of the building. Take some time in here to walk around. Two excellent copper statues on the ground floor, a man and a woman looking up through some mechanical contraptions, stand in silent, awe-inspiring guard over the building. Alas, the artist is not named for these two fine pieces.

On the main floor, Nancy Mee has created Themlis, a beautiful representation of the scales of justice. Made out of sandblasted glass, copper plated steel, and steel, it's a beauty. Wander around and take in the numerous other works in the open atrium.

Save the majority of your time for the art in the Student Center. Someone had a great time putting together a whimsical, witty, and poignant collection of art. Nary a weak work in the bunch. Right as you come in, you catch a glimpse of J. Michael Walker's large piece, Seven Social Sacraments. Seattle U is a Catholic university, but those responsible for putting the art collection together have been anything but slaves to dogma. There is a healthy questioning of religious norms and a focus on faith.

Witness Maria Proges' Storyteller (2000), a fragile collection of glass bottles coated in beeswax and lovingly labeled.

A short walk on (you can pass quickly by David Bates' oil Sacred Heart Church) and you come upon Edward Burtynski's unusual, oddly lyrical photograph Shipbreaking #30. A lonely cargo ship is being cut into scrap on a beach, its hulking presence still dwarfing the men who will, piece by piece, cart it away.

In the conference room, Julian Opie has a simple, fun, colorful series of still lives of fruits. Walk up the stairs to the second floor and who should you see but Chuck Close. His Self Portrait, a silkscreen, is a perfect embodiment of a colorful artist.

Close by, three works by Roger Shimomura cast poignant light on the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Though small, these three works are powerful.

Seattle University is, first and foremost, a center of knowledge, and the inclusion artwork to both inspire and inform students and faculty is both revealing and educational. Give yourself a treat and spend a little time with some great art, spiritual, awe-inspiring, and just plain fun.