New “Departure” Sculpture to Live in Place of the Beloved “Valentine”

While the beloved Valentine sculpture’s permanent home has been moved to the ICCU Bengal Alumni Center, a new sculpture will soon take its place on the Hutchinson Quad. Departure was artist George Lundeen’s first life-size sculpture and depicts a young couple he sketched at a train station in Italy. Valentine was his interpretation of this couple at an older age, and the ISU community fell in love with it. 

Inspired by the positive impact that art and the Valentine sculpture have on the lives of many, Marilyn and Bill Byrne sought out Valentine artist George Lundeen, whom they admire greatly, to share a complimenting piece to live on ISU’s lower campus. 

“Departure is near and dear to my heart,” Lundeen said. “It communicates the physical and emotional drive to move, grow and inevitably change, which is a driving factor for students living their life during and beyond their college experience.”

Departure will be an added experience on campus that brings together students and the ISU community as its representation of the lifecycle of a student. This will be the first time the companion sculptures have been located in close proximity to one another.