In honor of the installation of Judy’s Hand Pavilion on Toby’s Plaza, throughout July, we will highlight other highly recognizable outdoor art installations across campus.
Given Case Western Reserve University’s historic connections to physics and astronomy, it is fitting that one of the campus’s most recognizable sculptures is titled Morning Star.
Created by Jon Barlow Hudson in 1982, Morning Star is located on Case Quad near Eldred Hall. It commemorated the 100th anniversary of Western Reserve College’s move from Hudson, Ohio, to University Circle.
An abstract representation of a star, the sculpture is made of many small triangle- and quadrilateral-shaped mirrors. The reflective surface of the sculpture bends and refracts sunlight and images of the surrounding scenery. There are also several hollow spaces and tunnels through the sculpture, making the entire piece somewhat of an optical illusion.
The sculpture has just one twin: Hudson created a 15-foot wide version of Morning Star for the 1988 World Expo held in Brisbane, Australia. It was his first international commission and still sits in Brisbane Botanical Garden today.