Oil on canvas Commissioned by University Museums. Funded by the Natural Resource Ecology Management Department. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. U2020.18
In one of the most recent additions to the formal portraiture collection at Iowa State University, Frantzen depicts former department chair of Entomology and National Resource and Ecology Management, Sue Blodgett (serving from 2011–2018. The portrait collection at Iowa State contributes to the historical record of each department or college, memorializing the research and strides made in the specific areas of research over the years. Blodgett’s particular expertise in ecology and Monarch butterflies, and leadership of the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, led to the ongoing protection and effort to understand the decline in the Midwestern Monarch populations. Frantzen spent hours studying Blodgett and her mannerisms, to better capture both her physical likeness as well as her inner essence.
“[My portrait] goes far beyond a resemblance, but portrays me as I think I must have appeared to students, staff and faculty.”
– Sue Blodgett, former department chair of Entomology and National Resource and Ecology Management.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
