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A man that has been traveling on his bike from Arizona continued to pedal his way through the university's campus to take part in the museum's Tour de Art.
More than 30 students and other members of the community took a bicycle tour of campus and learned about the art sculptures displayed at various locations. Although the weather was cold and windy, the chill did not stop anyone from enjoying food, music, games and art.
Evan Johnson from Flagstaff, Ariz., said he has been bicycling across the country since March 15 and decided to attend the event after he stopped to use the Internet and saw it advertised online.
Johnson said he had been in Carbondale for a few days and decided to stick around until Saturday just so he could enjoy more of what the city and the university had to offer.
"I've seen a lot of exciting things so far, but I wanted to get the chance to see even more," Johnson said.
Before the tour began, everyone was given a passport that had a picture of each sculpture and a page to get a stamp from the volunteers located at each station. The participants made eight stops along the route, including the "Thunder Blue" sculpture located at the south end of Faner.
They pedaled as far as campus beach before reaching their final destination in front of Shryock Auditorium to see the Delyte Morris statue.
Once the tour was over, everyone gathered in front of the museum to enjoy free food, music and participate in an obstacle course and a dance contest.
Ali Wood, a senior from Springfield studying art, was the creator behind the event. Wood is part of an independent study class and came up with this idea for a project after collaborating with the museum's exhibit designer Nate Steinbrink.
Wood said she did not know how she was able to come up with the concept, but knew she wanted to incorporate a creative way for people to learn about the art this campus has to offer.
"This was for anybody and everybody to share a fun experience," Wood said.
Steinbrink said the Tour de Art was meant to be a community building activity, not just an event for students. Events like this bring people out who share common interests and allow for them to see and enjoy things they probably have never noticed, Steinbrink said.
With the success of the first Tour de Art, Steinbrink said he plans to host the event again next year, but also make it as a fundraiser for purchasing more sculpture for the campus.
Jenn Lofton can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 270 or jlofton@siu.edu
