Spirit of Place Public Arts Competition

Located on Kresge Library's western entrance, “Saints and Sinners” is Oakland University's first major exterior sculpture. For nearly thirty years, Fredericks pursued the piece as a passion project, and it eventually caught the eye of art enthusiasts at OU. “I have long wanted to be able to display a major sculpture somewhere on the campus and now, finally, the dream can become a reality," Donald O’Dowd said upon its installation.

“Sunset Cube” is located on the west side of campus, facing the hillside at the fork in the road, between the Meadow Brook Hall and Sunset Terrace. With this piece, Barr was one of six winners in The Meadow Brook Invitational: Outdoor Sculpture Competition, with 76 applicants overall. Barr spread art throughout Michigan, founding Legacy Art Park, a sculpture park in Benzie County, and collaborating with Sergio De Giusti on creating "Transcending," a public artwork at Hart Plaza in Detroit. Barr earned the Governor's Michigan Artist Award in 1988.

Another winner in the The Meadow Brook Invitational: Outdoor Sculpture Competition, “Rhythm and Vibrations” is found on a hill on the east side of campus. Stiebel completed the piece in Pontiac at Oakland Welding Industries. Within Michigan, she also received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and created a large-scale outdoor sculpture, "Equilibrium" at Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City. 

Also a winner in The Meadow Brook Invitational: Outdoor Sculpture Competition, “Untitled”  is on the east side of campus and consists of four cement cubes. Tom Bills was a Michigan native and an Oakland University alumnus. He also received his MFA from Yale University, and became a professor of art  at UC Davis. Bills was a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1980-1981, and a Guggenheim Fellowship in the Creative Arts in 2000.

“Telegraph Exchange, Midwest Sweep Series” towers in the grassy entrance on the east side of campus, also celebrated as a winner in The Meadow Brook Invitational: Outdoor Sculpture Competition. Piet valued art education, studying at the Detroit Institute of Arts Center (now College for Creative Studies), receiving his MFA from Wayne State University and becoming a professor at Macomb Community College. 

Wesner has two outdoor sculptures located on campus: Motherswell, originally installed near South Foundation Hall and moved near Oakview Hall in 2020, and Echo Cognitio (1999), also near Oakview Hall. Wesner can be seen guiding the original installation in the above photo. After earning his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Wesner became a professor and chair of the Sculpture Department at the College for Creative Studies. His sculptures can also be seen in at the Walter B. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills and the Meijer Sculpture Garden in Grand Rapids.