MSU College of Music Collections
Public Artwork
The breathtaking interior of the Billman Music Pavilion demanded a carefully curated selection of original artwork placed throughout to complement our new space, dedicated in 2021. The acquisition and placement of more than 29 paintings by five distinguished contemporary artists mirror MSU’s longstanding commitment to funding public art.
The artwork in the Billman Music Pavilion is installed in high-visibility areas, with large format paintings in open spaces and groupings of smaller pieces along hallways, balconies, lounge, and reception areas.
Click on the artist name to jump to their work that is featured in our spaces.
Jackie Saccoccio | Zak Prekop | Clarence Morgan | Michael Wille | Irving Taran | Susan Chrysler White | Àlvar Suñol Munoz-Ramos | Samuel Cashwan
Caliban
Jackie Saccoccio
Oil and oil pastel on linen, 106" x 79"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium
Jackie Saccoccio (1963-2020) was a renowned abstract painter with degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She drew inspiration from Italian Renaissance, Baroque, and 20th-century styles during her career, which included prestigious grants like the Fulbright-Hayes Foundation, John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and the Rome Prize. Saccoccio achieved prominence with exhibitions at institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Her work was also displayed in international galleries. Notably, her painting "Caliban" (2019) resides in the Charles Atrium of the Billman Pavilion at Michigan State University. Despite battling cancer since 2014, Saccoccio continued to create art and held numerous solo shows in the United States, China, and Japan. On December 4, 2020, she passed away, leaving behind her husband, Carl D'Alvia, and their daughter.
Twenty-One
Zak Prekop
Oil on canvas, 20" x 78"
Location: Music Building - Lobby, north wall
Ending Plane (Narrow)
Zak Prekop
Oil on muslin, 20" x 78"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium
Zak Prekop (b. 1979) of New York holds art degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also studied at Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Frankfurt, Germany. Prekop's style involves layering techniques, exemplified in his paintings "Twenty-One" and "Ending Plane (Narrow)," both completed in 2017 and measuring 20" x 78". These oil on canvas works integrate mixed materials, creating contrast and depth through color variation, pale backgrounds, patterns, and brush strokes. Prekop's art strikes a balance between abstract and improvisational, with a touch of regularity. He has exhibited his work across the United States, Europe, and East Asia, and served as a Visiting Artist Lecturer at Kent State University in 2010.
Open Plateform
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Reasons to Deviate
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Autumn Song
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Empirical Observation
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Perfectly Chosen
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Forms of Temporality
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Off-Site
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Third Stream
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
From Time to Time
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Sight Lines 
Clarence Morgan
Acrylic ink, watercolor crayon and pencil on paper, 11" x 14"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium, Student Study Mezzanine. Grouped together horizontally.
Clarence Morgan, a Philadelphia native, is a renowned artist known for his paintings, drawings, and printmaking. He's an accomplished academic who has published extensively on art-related topics and the identity of Black artists in America. After his graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Morgan taught at East Carolina University and later at the University of Minnesota, where he's now Professor Emeritus and Head of Drawing/Painting. His career spans guest lectures across the U.S. and internationally, exhibitions in major cities, and contributions to permanent collections in esteemed institutions. In North Carolina, he was active in both the art scene and the North Carolina Arts Council.After relocating to Minnesota, Morgan received grants and fellowships from prestigious foundations. His notable honors include the Dorothy Liskey Wampley Eminent Professor, Distinguished Alumni Award, and the College of Liberal Arts Dean's Medal. In addition to his impressive career, Morgan's collection of ten paintings can be found in the Student Study Area near the Shalon Hall observation window.
Meandering No. 2
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 24" x 20.5"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, north wall
Meandering No. 1
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 24" x 20.5"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, north wall
Meandering No. 4
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 24" x 20.5"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, north wall
Meandering No. 10
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 24" x 20.5"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, north wall
Echo Hill No. 16
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 16" x 12"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, west wall
Locate No. 3
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 16" x 12"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, west wall
Echo Hill No. 7
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 16" x 12"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, west wall
Locate No. 8
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 16" x 12"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, west wall
Echo Hill No 18
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 16" x 12"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, west wall
Locate No. 13
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 16" x 12"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, west wall
Tewksbury Hollow No. 1
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 19" x 16"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, east wall
Tewksbury Hollow No. 14
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 19" x 16"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, east wall
Tewksbury Hollow No. 13
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 19" x 16"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, east wall
Tewksbury Hollow No. 5
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 19" x 16"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, east wall
Tewksbury Hollow No. 17
Michael Wille
Acrylic, dry pigment and spray paint on linen or board, 19" x 16"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Brough Student Lounge, east wall
Michael Wille (b. 1975) is the Director of the Wonsook Kim School of Art at Illinois State University since 2016. He joined the faculty in 2002 after earning a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Millikin University in 1997 and a Master of Fine Art degree from Bowling Green State University in 2000. Wille is active in art education, giving lectures and presentations across the United States, Japan, and South Africa. He's also involved in the College Art Association and National Council of Art Administrators. Wille's art focuses on rigid geometry and abstract motion, balancing space and movement in his collections. His works include paintings on various surfaces like wood and linen, often incorporating layers of materials and different textures. His art can be seen in the College of Music at Michigan State University, featuring fifteen works from four series, each named after his studio locations. These works are composed of acrylic, dry pigment, and spray paint on linen or board, in various dimensions.
Heavy Weather - Superior
Irving Taran
Acrylic on birch panels, 72" x 72"
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium stairwell landing
Irving Taran, a native of Duluth, Minnesota, studied art at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Michigan State University. He joined MSU's Department of Art, Art History, and Design, known for creating large-scale abstract works inspired by rock and earth formations. His technique involved reducing visible brush strokes and drips by painting from above on a flat surface, using thickening gels to achieve a three-dimensional effect. In 1997, with his son Peter's assistance, he curated the Earth Surfaces exhibit from his 220 existing paintings, which was displayed in Duluth in 2002. In 2011, he donated the painting "Heavy Weather – Superior (2003)" to the College of Music, where it remains on permanent display in the Billman Pavilion. Taran's works have been exhibited across the Michigan State University campus, notably at the Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum and Wharton Center for the Arts.
Arpeggio
Susan Chrysler White
Acrylic and glassine on canvas, 42" x 42"
Location: Music Building - Cook Recital Hall, east wall, righthand entrance
Requiem
Susan Chrysler White
Acrylic and glassine on canvas, 42" x 42"
Location: Music Building - Cook Recital Hall, east wall, lefthand entrance
Carmen Suite
Àlvar Suñol Munoz-Ramos
Embossed colo lithographs
Location: Billman Music Pavillion - Charles Atrium stairwell landing
Three Musicians
Samuel Cashwan
Cubist cast-concrete sculpture
Location: Adams Field, west of the Billman Music Pavilion and near the Cowles House backyard
Three Musicians, which depicts a bass player, drummer, and saxophonist, was one of a pair of sculptures the Class of 1939 gave to flank the stage of the Art Deco band shell of 1938, which once occupied the grounds where Bessey Hall now stands. When construction began on the Billman Music Pavilion, the statue was moved, fully restored and returned to Adams Field by Flatlanders Sculpture Supply and Art Galleries of Toledo. Photo by Derrick Turner.
