Arizona State University

Table of Contents

Locations

  1. Points of Pride

    1. Public Art

      1. Hopi Flute Player

        Music Building courtyard:


        In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the Public Works of Art Project to place American-themed art works throughout the country. In just a few months, the state of Arizona received 58 murals and paintings – and a model for a decorative fountain in front of Old Main. Emry Kopta, who visited the Hopi mesas in 1912 and decided to stay for 11 years, was commissioned to design a centerpiece for the fountain. Taking inspiration from his years on the mesas, Kopta began with a stone base that featured four kachinas in bas-relief. However, lack of funding prevented the casting of the life-size bronze statue, which was to sit atop the pedestal. In 2002, ASU decided to cast Hopi Flute Player and install it in the Music Building courtyard, in accordance with the wishes of the Hopi Tribe.