CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Statues and artwork, such as this statue of a woman outside the Main Library, have been installed around campus. New pieces have recently been installed outside the Student Union Memorial Center and Old Main.

You pass it every day on your way to class. You sit on it during lunch break. You may hang your coat on it, and if you're like most students, you stare at it and wonder what the heck it is.

It's campus art, and there are more than 30 pieces located across the university grounds.

Prices of these art pieces range from $2,000 to nearly $100,000.

Some works are more traditional, like the bust in front of McKale Center of John Button Salmon, the player who coined the phrase "Bear Down." Others take on a more abstract look like "Curving Arcades," the giant red and blue steel arches dotting the entrance to the university off of North Campbell Avenue.

The Public Art Committee, a group composed of staff, faculty and community members, takes careful consideration in acquiring art that they say not only adds to the overall aesthetic of the campus but also gives students their only regular exposure to art.

"For many students, this is the only art they ever see," said Richard Schaffer, UA Museum of Art Registrar. "And if it's good art, it stimulates wonder and thought."

CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat This statue outside of Flandrau Science Center is one of many on campus.

Money for campus art is generated by a fund that sets aside .05 percent of the cost of every major construction project at the UA.

In the past this money was required to be spent on the construction site that generated the money, but recently a campus art fund was created that allows the committee to pool the money for larger projects.

The committee selects art based upon how it works in a given environment, taking issues like health and safety into account.

"We look at where people gather and try to enhance the artistic quality of the university itself," said Charles Guerin, president of the Committee for Public Art.

Guerin not only heads the committee, but also serves as Executive Director of the UA Museum of Art.

"I remember being a forestry student at the University of Illinois, and walking into the art museum for the first time. I encountered art accidentally, and 35 years later here I am," Guerin said. "Tripping over art makes you stop and wonder. It broadens our understanding of the world we live in, and art should be a big part of that world," Guerin said.

New sculptures in front of the Student Union Memorial Center are just the start of new art being added to the campus over the next few years. Works are planned to be located at the East Sixth Street parking garage and Highland Commons, both scheduled to be completed sometime next year.

Although some students admit they may not necessarily understand some of the artwork around campus, they say that they think public art is important.

"I think it's OK to spend money on this stuff. It's just as important as stuff for science or anything else," said Bernie Kletschka, a fine arts senior.

Others say the art makes no sense.

"Honestly I don't get it. I'd rather they put a cactus there," said Basil Lalli, a geosciences sophomore.

Students offer input on renderings of proposed artwork and are invited to give feedback to the committee.