Public Art of the Week

This impressive sculpture, “The Unisphere,” has reposed off the lobby of the Michigan State University International Center since it was given to the university by the Class of 1966. 

It is a knockoff miniature representation of the world’s largest original globe that graced the entrance to the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York.

The globe was completed by the American Bridge Co. and designed by landscape architect
Gilmore D. Clarke. It was meant to underline the theme of the fair: “Peace Through Understanding.”

The sculpture at MSU, which cost $3,000, is not located in what you would call a prominent place but what seems to be an afterthought at the base of a stairway. It is marked with a simple plaque detailing its provenance.

The original globe, which still stands today in the same location, measures 140 feet tall and 120 feet in diameter. Renovated twice, it has no shooting fountains or pool of water at its base, which were part of the original design.

The original Unisphere was meant to convey the fair’s theme of world peace. Ironically, MSU’s mini-sculpture is in the International Center, which former MSU President John Hannah would brag was paid for by CIA money — a reference to MSU’s relationship with the spy agency during the Vietnam War.

MSU’s campus is peppered with little architectural and artistic delights like the Unisphere. You just have to keep your eyes open to find them.