Tuesday, April 3, 2012

UNL Campus Springing Sculptures

While I had two classes doing a creative writing exercise outside, I took advantage of the time and weather to stroll around the Sheldon Art Gallery's sculpture garden. I really wanted a donut, but I refrained. Art and nature, a winning combination without saturated fats.

Crabapple


The previous sculpture from the front.
Pasque flower.


Redbud and dogwood being horizontal.

A moving piece tucked behind a hedge.
Redbud

I like the color and textures.

Front steps.


Even the manhole covers are artistic here.
It's a pretty campus in spring filled with flowering shrubs and trees galore. In the fall and winter the birds have a grand ole time with berries. Now, if only some of the unused lawn spaces could be patches of prairie. I dream of one day teaching a writing class that uses knowledge of plants--names and medicinal properties and folklore. Maybe taking field trips to gardens and reserves, crossing with other departments. That'd be fun.
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11 comments:

James Golden said...

Looks like a rather "high end" sculpture collection. An eye opener.

Benjamin Vogt said...

Oh yeah, James. At least one of the sculptors has work at MOMA and has a Guggenheim, and the artwork inside includes a Rothko and a host of others I can't remember.

Les said...

You are good to your students. I hope they appreciated it.

Benjamin Vogt said...

Good for one day, Les.

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

Ditto James.

High end indeed.

What a beautiful place for a stroll.

You should petition about changing some of the unused lawn areas, you really should!

Benjamin Vogt said...

Rob--I dunno, a petition sounds like work just when I'm starting a prairie garden coaching business (and grading 50 college essays).

Layanee said...

Don't you love the ability of the redbud to produce those flower clusters right up tight on the bark? Beauty is all around you and now I would like a donut please.

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

Benjamin

You should ask them the question. What a great project it would be.

You show them a way to increase the beauty of the place whilst their bio- diverse credentials fly up and off the scale. You could do it at cost. Think of the leverage you would have to kick start your business.

Just a thought.

Anonymous said...

i can't seem to give up my donuts "jones"

i was recently at the westview bed and breakfast in lincoln but didn't make it to the sculpture garden - very beautiful at this time of year

Benjamin Vogt said...

Layanee--Did you get your donuts? I sent them. I swear.
Rob--UNL is a very pretty campus, but it never seems enough. It's considered an arboretum, but not enough native plants (which they could leave alone 99% of the year and even reduce maint costs). Who would listen to lil ole me?
Magisano--Ah, on the north side. I MUCH prefer the sculpture garden to, say, the sunken gardens (which are far too artificial and crowedd for me).

Kathryn said...

Fabulous photos -- art with spring blooms. In Baltimore, our season is blooming more than three weeks early. The redbud is finished, but the tulips are at their peak and the azaleas are just coming in.