When most Huskers stroll past “Old Glory” — the towering red steel beam sculpture west of Love Library North — they think things like, “Cool sculpture,” and “It is very red.”
For Nebraska’s Mark Griep, a recently retired chemistry professor, those quick observances turn into a deeper question — Why is the sculpture turning orange?
After decades of wondering, measuring, scraping and testing, Griep’s obsession has landed him a spot in Sheldon’s vibrant new “Go Big Red” exhibition, on view through Dec. 31. The show features 45 guest curators — from Husker football coach Matt Rhule to faculty, staff, students and friends of the university — each selecting Sheldon Museum of Art works that showcase the scarlet hue that defines the spirit of dear old Nebraska U.
For Griep (at least in this instance), red is more than a school tradition dating back to 1892 — it’s a chemical puzzle.
Back in 2000, Griep was teaching a first-year seminar he designed to explore the science and symbolism of the color red across disciplines. When it came time to discuss red in art, he reached out to Karen Janovy, then a Sheldon curator, for assistance. She chose “Old Glory” by Mark di Suvero.
Installed in 1987, di Suvero’s vision for the connected beams was patriotic — red steel rising into a blue sky streaked with white clouds. And for those cloudless Nebraska days, he suggested, viewers could look to the white stone of nearby Hamilton Hall — home to the chemistry department — for the final color in the trio.
Griep was hooked. And, that connection soon evolved into a long-running research project when Griep noticed something odd — the red paint on “Old Glory” was fading.
“What amazed me was how badly it fades,” he said. “I’m looking at it every day.”
That curiosity turned technical before a 2020 repainting, when Griep, along with colleagues Steve Morin, associate professor of chemistry, and Matthew Jameson, a graduate student, used a reflectometer to measure how the color had changed.
“The faces away from the sun still had a lot of red in them,” Griep said. “But on the south-facing one, the red peak went down to zero, leaving only the orange peak.”
The basic idea is that the fading fell to a basic chemical fact — red pigments tend to absorb more light and heat, making them unstable over time.
“So basically, the sun’s heating it up, and the particles that make the red just fall apart,” he said.
To dig deeper, the team studied the paint used to coat the sculpture. The work included collecting paint samples and analyzing them using techniques like infrared spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to identify oxidation and metal content.
A complete overview and description of the work is on view for all to enjoy in the “Go Big Red” exhibition — which includes a First Friday celebration today, 5 to 7 p.m.
The team also continues to gather data from the sculpture and may eventually publish a research paper on their findings. In the meantime, Griep hopes the “Go Big Red” exhibition helps visitors view both art and chemistry through new lenses.
“I hope this work helps Sheldon visitors think about the art in terms of how it was made. What are the materials, and then, do they last,” he said. “Our study is mostly for fun — an anthropological exploration. But I enjoy that it’s also helping people think about chemistry in new ways.”
