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OREM — As Utah Valley University prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, administrators wanted something new for the library, so they turned to glass artist Tom Holdman.
The artists at Holdman Studio at Thanksgiving Point have many projects going at one time, but none bigger than the window for the UVU Library. It will eventually be 10 feet tall and 200 feet long.
Glass making is a complicated process that begins with fire. The creation of glass, an ancient process, fits perfectly with the project titled "The Roots of Knowledge" that will be displayed at UVU. The artist hopes to spark conversation.
"How can we inspire a student that they can honestly make a difference in the world?" Holdman asked.
Holdman has become an internationally recognized artist, his creations grace 35 Latter-day Saint temples, Catholic churches, businesses and private homes. He understands challenges, meeting one every day as a stutterer.
"The visual arts help me speak to people," Holdman said. "I have, at time, a very slow tongue. I love the medium of glass. There really is nothing else like that feeling. It just speaks."
"These are different cultures all over the world that believe different things, and it's molded how we think," said Holman Studio employee Cameron Oscarson.
Holdman said the thing that he hopes to bring to life through glass is what Oscarson drew — a history of the world.
UVU's library will transform after the glass mural is installed.
"A nice idea about how to bring some intellectual 'oomph' to a new campus that had become a university, but it has really sprouted into something," said UVU President Matthew Holland. "This is truly going to be magnificent."
The art glass will be the central part of the 75th anniversary at Utah Valley University in 2017.
