The Galvin Library is fortunate to have some interesting art works on exhibit.  Below are descriptions and images of these works.

Near the main entrance of Galvin Library is a Terry Karpowicz sculpture entitled Concurrence. Along with three other sculptures, it was selected from a Navy Pier exhibition in 1999 by a group of IIT professors, administrators and students. Constructed from various metals including cast iron, it serves as a convenient landmark when giving directions to the library.

Hanging in Galvin's foyer is a print of the Francis Apartments designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in Chicago in 1895 for the Terre Haute Trust Company of Indiana. These apartments are considered to be the second most influential Wright design of the transitional period. Contrary to original assumptions, Wright discovered that tenants were not insistent upon fancywork. Inspired by the need for a simple yet functional domestic design, the success of the Francis Apartments was a milestone in Mid-West apartment-house design.

Adjacent to the print of the Francis Apartments is a print of the Lexington Terraces; a Frank Lloyd Wright design commissioned by Edward Waller Jr. Ten years were invested in the project from 1901-1909, and two locations on the South side of Chicago were considered, but the buildings were never raised. Essentially the Terraces were planned to be a multiple-housing idea comprised of two identical units of small flats, compressed into a square, enclosing a landscaped court. Had they been constructed, the Lexington Terraces would have been one of the largest domestic dwellings designed by Wright's firm.

A Remembrance of and Tribute to the Card Catalog, designed by Sohair Wastawy, Dean of Libraries and Tom Brock, Architect, is a glass on wood collage of card catalog cards. Many of the cards on display are associated with IIT in some way. Cards referencing Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, David Boder, and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, as well as others such as Richard Wright and Aristotle are represented. The collage is an affectionate acknowledgement of the card catalog that served the university community for years, but now has been replaced by the new breed of digital finding aides.

In the Library Learning Center on the first floor of Galvin are five images created by Amy Lee Segami using a technique known as Suminagashi (flow of ink). Suminagashi is a process of painting on water practiced in secret by Japanese Shinto priests, during the 12th century. Traditionally, a pattern of concentric rings decorated the paper on which messages to the Shinto Gods were written. Applying her background in fluid mechanics, Segami has transformed traditional Suminagashi into a contemporary art form. Her work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe and is exhibited in many public and corporate galleries. She frequently lectures on integrating art and science.

Hanging from the ceiling over the stairway of the Galvin Library's main entrance, is a book sculpture created by Scott McCarney, a book artist/designer based in Rochester, NY. McCarney finds the book form to be the perfect medium for exploring his design interests that stem from an academic background in photography and design, and a love for the philosophic possibilities of sculpture. In addition to teaching at the Summer Institute program of Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, he has been a faculty member for over twelve years with Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. He has lectured and taught in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and South America. His artwork is also on display at the Yale University Library and University of Southern Maine at Portland Library.

On display on the second floor of the Galvin Library, are two large abstract paintings by Spanish artist, Jordi Pallares. The medium used in both pieces is acrylic and oil on canvas. Dr. Lajos Schmidt, an alumnus of IIT, donated these paintings.

In the Kemper room, on the second floor of the library, are four original Barcelona chairs, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona. Despite the Barcelona Chair's machine-made appearance, they were painstakingly handmade in limited quantities. The compound curves of the chromium plated steel bars were too complex to be fabricated except by hand. The connections in the Barcelona Chair, demanded precision and accuracy. Among all of Mies' furniture, the Barcelona Chair became a symbol of the new technological age and remains the hallmark of luxury, elegance, and craftsmanship.