Displayed upon a white pillar sitting 48 inches from the floor at breast height the unusual art piece Nipple Ball is at the exact position the artist requested.

This artistic bosom is just one of many diverse creations at the Multi-Mini exhibit through March 13 in the University Museum.

Exhibit coordinator L.M. Wood, a graduate student in liberal arts from Murphysboro, said Nipple Ball is not the only piece that required instructions for display.

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Some of the artists explained how they wanted their work displayed, she said. And some of the artists were just happy to get their work some recognition.

The beeswax breast is in a circular shape with several nipples protruding from its circumference.

With white and black pillars neatly arranged in sets of three and dispersed throughout the exhibition, tiny styles of artwork fill 5-inch spaces upon their tops.

Clay and pig intestines are creatively shaped in unique little tea pot forms or doll-sized slippers and placed upon the pillars and along the South Hall’s walls.

[Nipple Ball’] is probably my favorite because it is so unique and beautiful, Wood said. The beeswax also smells very good.

Wood also said she found piecing together the exhibition proved to be rather difficult at times because of the restrictions some artists set on their works.

We sometimes have to improvise with an artist’s work when we can’t display it exactly the way the artist wanted, Wood said. Because of the University’s carpeted walls and minor restrictions, there are things we won’t be able to do, like putting or screwing nails to the walls.

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Despite the challenge of creating an art exhibit from 81 pieces of artwork, Wood said the recognition of the work was well worth the effort.

We are always looking for alternative ways to exhibit artwork, Wood said. We even had an exhibit in our bathroom once called Restrooms, Public and Private.’ Wood and her husband spent nearly a year planning and preparing for the Multi-Mini art showcase and are pleased with the response from artists and galleries.

We have an entire book of the documents from the artists and the galleries that took part in putting this together, said Wood’s husband David, also a graduate student in liberal arts. We hope to publish it as a catalog in the future, but all this paper work is only a small part of what went into the show.

The couple said they carefully planned and coordinated the event with several people in numerous states.

The exhibition is an exchange of miniature works throughout nine states, she said. Each artist was asked to make nine identical works and each will be shipped to one of the nine states in the showcase.

Wood, who is also one of the artists in the showcase, said she is pleased to know that her work will be available to such a diverse and wide variety of people.

I think it’s really cool that my art will be in major settings, she said. Its even more impressive to think that my work will be in nine places for nine different cities to view.

The other eight states included in the exhibitions are Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon and Virginia.

There was a size restriction placed on the artists because of the long distance between the shows. The cost of shipping posed a slight problem for the Woods so the art was limited to five inches by five inches, creating a miniature form of art.

The exhibition will be open to the public through March 13. There will be an opening reception for the public from 7 to 10 tonight in the University Museum.

For information, call 453-5388.