Students taking late-night trips to Library West may not always pay attention to the 6-by-10-foot painting between the entrance's escalators or the black cut-metal panels on the first-floor windows.
The artist behind these works might get more attention soon, though. He has been appointed the new director of the College of Fine Arts' School of Art and Art History.
Richard Heipp, who has been a painting professor at UF for 30 years, has also served as department chair, graduate coordinator and assistant director.
His new contract is a three-year deal, which is in addition to the two years he will have served as acting director of the school, College of Fine Arts Dean Lucinda Lavelli said.
Heipp will receive an administrative stipend in addition to his professor's salary, totaling $132,927 yearly, beginning July 1, UF spokesman Steve Orlando said.
Heipp said he will promote and oversee the school, which consists of about 30 full-time faculty members, about 400 undergraduate students and more than 200 graduate students.
"I'm basically responsible for managing all aspects of the school," he said.
Heipp, who also created the black panel works on the third floor of Weimer Hall, said he had to temporarily put his art career on hold to accept this position. However, he expressed excitement to represent a faculty and Student Body he respects.
"I really think this position is being a strong advocate for the faculty, for the program, just for the importance of art in our culture and on our campus," he said. "I think a lot of people on campus don't realize what an active school this is, things our faculty do nationally and internationally, and what we bring to campus, what a big role our faculty and our students play in the cultural part of the university."
