Tucked into the architectural lines of Lynn Hall’s large lecture hall, two vivid murals by artist Harry Boone have been greeting students and visitors at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine for over two decades. Originally commissioned in 1998 as part of a university-wide program to integrate original art across campus, the works in the Lynn 1136 lecture hall remain a powerful visual presence in the academic heart of the college.
The Commission and Creative Process
Boone responded to a call for proposals issued through a Purdue program which selected one artist annually to create site-specific work for a designated college. In 1998, the focus turned to the College of Veterinary Medicine. Boone’s thoughtful, site-responsive proposal included two murals rather than one, designed to mirror the scale and slope of the lecture hall space.
The artist created the work over the span of a year in a rented studio above an old drugstore in downtown Franklin, Indiana. “It was truly a memorable and delightful time spent in that studio,” Boone said, reflecting on the period.
Pastoral Eclipse, AM and Pastoral Eclipse, PM
Boone knew he wanted the subject matter of the work to be relevant to the college. Interestingly, the two murals began as renderings of grazing cows. To be more inclusive, Boone revised these images with abstract shapes that suggested farm animals, but not any certain species. This decision was connected to his experience in the countryside, bicycling past and observing herds of cattle. Boone says, “It made me ponder the way animals sensed time – how different it is from my own experience.”
He created two small colored pencil cartoons that would develop into two 12’ x 12’ murals. Using four canvases to compose each mural, the artist organized their arrangement to complement the sloped architecture of Lynn 1136.
A Painter’s Vision and a Lighting Challenge
From the beginning, Boone stressed the importance of gallery-quality lighting to allow viewers to experience the full depth of the murals. Though spotlights were agreed upon initially, they were never installed. Boone felt the resulting installation of the art muted the visual potential of his work.
Despite those concerns, his recent return to the hall brought unexpected joy. “I was very happily shocked that they looked so good,” Boone said. “My wife [Dr. Suzanne Schuweiler], an art historian, absolutely loved them. She liked what she had seen in photos, but this, she said, was a real revelation. I can’t really express how very pleased I was with how they looked. It made my day.”
An Artist’s Path
Boone brings a lifetime of dedication to the visual arts. After earning his MFA in Painting and Art History from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he studied under internationally respected artists and worked closely with the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Boone began a long career in higher education. He taught at institutions across the country, including Gallaudet University and the Herron School of Art, ultimately retiring in 2023 after 14 years at Georgia Gwinnett College. He now resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
His work, steeped in Mediterranean color and shaped by French modernist influences, continues to draw admiration. In Lynn 1136, the murals serve not only as visual landmarks but as a legacy of thoughtful public art, conceived with intention, created with care, and still resonating decades later.
In closing, he says about this project, “I consider my acceptance in this program to be one of the most important events in my long artistic career. It is a high honor indeed to have my work included in one of the county’s premier universities and a top-tier veterinary school.”
To learn more about Harry Boone and his work, click here to view his online portfolio.
