Inside Parmer Hall: The Academic Impact - Dominican University

Parmer Hall
John C. and Carolyn J. Parmer Hall features
more than just state-of-the-art classrooms and
laboratories. The new building also hosts a
wide variety of contemporary artwork, culled
from the store of pieces Dominican University
has acquired over the years. That collection is in the
midst of a lengthy cataloging process undertaken
by student interns under the supervision of
Kim Theriault, assistant professor of art history.
Students, staff members and art department faculty
participated on a committee to select the pieces for
Parrmer Hall. While several were donated to the
university by generous benefactors, others were
created by Dominican students and staff.
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INSIDE PARMER HALL
by Thomas Blackwell, class of 2008
TheVibrant Art
of
In keeping with the university’s Catholic tradition,
a religious mosaic greets visitors to Parmer’s southwing
entrance. The work is built out of colorful
fragments of varying shapes, depicting Christ with
a group of followers. The mosaic was produced
by Sr. Guala O’Connor, OP (deceased professor of
art), with assistance from Sr. Milla Derby, OP ’49
(who also taught art). The foyer of Albertus Magnus
Hall, the old science
building, is adorned
with a wall-sized mosaic
of creation by the same
artist, so the placement
of this smaller piece
creates a historical echo,
connecting Parmer with
its predecessor.
On the lower level of Parmer Hall, a busy hallway
is embellished with art of a more abstract nature.
Evoking the expressionist works of the early 1960s,
a large blue, gray, white and black piece by Richard
Alexander bursts with
energy. The university
previously displayed the
piece in the Cyber Café
of the Rebecca Crown
Library. It was donated to
the university by Beatrice
“Buddy” Mayer, a longtime
friend of the school, in 1976
in memory of her husband,
Robert B. Mayer.
Student artwork also is
represented in the building, including scenes of the
botany department greenhouse (attached to the old
science building) painted by Emilia Gryc ’05. Now
located on the third floor of Parmer Hall next to the
general chemistry laboratory, the paintings—one
portraying a daylight view of the garden; the other,
a nighttime view—serve as subtle reminders of the
department’s history.