Exhibits and Art

Permanent Collection


Jeanne d’Arc

Jeanne D'Arc

Artist: Henri Chapu
Medium: Plaster copy of the ca. 1870-72 marble in the Musee du Louvre, Paris (on view in the City Hall of Amboise)
Location: Duke Hall, 2nd floor
Dimensions: 1.17 x 0.92 x 0.83m

Description: Four known copies of Jeanne d’ Arc reside in Virginia at the former state teacher’s colleges: Longwood, Madison, Mary Washington, and Radford. They are believed to be gifts from the French Government in appreciation for war relief efforts during World War I. Madison College’s New Student Building was presented with the statue in a formal school assembly in January of 1917. President and Mrs. Julian A. Burruss dedicated the statue with emphasis on Joan of Arc as representing the high ideals of womanhood. The 1996 restoration of this statue was made possible in part by the family of Elizabeth Katherine Miller Aigner, class of 1919.

More info: History of JMU’s Joan of Arc statueJoan of Arc statue and women’s rights at JMU


Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
The Mahatma, “Great Soul”

Photo of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi sculpture in Rose Library

Medium: Bronze
Location: Rose Library, 1st floor

Description: The government of India presented a larger than life-size bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi as a gift to James Madison University in recognition of the work of the Gandhi Center. The statue was dedicated and unveiled on October 2, 2008, the International Day of Nonviolence and the birth anniversary of the Mahatma, by His Excellency Ronen Sen, Ambassador of India to the United States of America. The statue is the first of Mahatma Gandhi in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

More info: JMU Ghandi Statue Dedication (video)


Diversity Mosaic

Photo of Diversity Mosaic in Rose Library

Artist: Sarah Swanlund, various JMU clubs and organizations
Medium: Mosaic
Location: Rose Library, 1st and 2nd floor

Description: Two mosaics that decorate the first and second floor of Rose Library stand as a commemoration of diversity and inclusion at JMU. When JMU’s Office of Access & Inclusion was calling for proposals for its annual Innovative Diversity Efforts Award, better known as the IDEA grant, the Diversity Mosaics were born. Thanks to artist and JMU Libraries employee Sarah Swanlund who led instructional workshops, student groups were able to leave a piece of their organization and themselves emblazoned on the walls of Rose in a celebration of diversity.

More info: JMU news story


International Week Photographs

Photo of one of the International Week photographs

Artist: Various JMU students
Medium: Photography
Location: Rose Library, 4th floor

Description: Since 2000, the JMU community has submitted photographs to the Center for Global Engagement documenting its travels outside the U.S. and around the globe. JMU Libraries celebrates the winners of the annual I-Week Photo Contest by decorating the walls of Rose with these breathtaking photographs.


The little Gallery Underground

Photo collage of Little Gallery Underground exhibits

Artist: Local artists both within and without the JMU community
Medium: Various
Location: On the lower level of the JMU Music Building

Description: The gallery features rotating displays of art by local artists, both within the JMU community and beyond. What makes this gallery unique is the connection between visual art and music. This gallery is open during operational hours for the Music Library.

More info: AboutVirtual ExhibitsWebsite