Woods Quad Sculpture Garden Opens

Woods Quad Sculpture Garden
A dedication ceremony for the Woods Quad Sculpture Garden will be held Aug. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

From the August 2014 Desktop News | Woods Quad has long been home to students filling sketchbooks and lounging between classes. Now, thanks to a recently completed renovation, it will serve as the University’s outdoor sculpture garden, featuring work by faculty and the very same students who call the quad “home.”

A dedication ceremony for the Woods Quad Sculpture Garden will be held Aug. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a brief presentation on Woods Quad’s most recent changes and the sculptures featured within it.

Duane Lamb, assistant vice president of facilities and grounds, said the garden is designed to feature 17 individual sculpture projects while extending the inviting and beautiful landscape for which the UA campus has become known.

“It’s truly an extension of the campus landscape and grounds strategic plan,” Lamb said. “This landscape renovation of Woods Quad offers another welcoming green space for our students and campus community to enjoy while serving as a great connector between the new Ferguson Plaza and our core campus. The new Woods Quad Sculpture Garden is a wonderful addition to our campus.”

The design links each sculpture bed with connecting sidewalks. Every bed has up-lighting on each piece of art to enhance the works at night. Woods Quad also received additional irrigation, drainage, lamp poles, benches, bike racks, and plantings as part of the design.

“Woods Quad will continue to be an outdoor classroom for the College,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Robert Olin. “With landscaped and defined areas for artwork, we now have the opportunity to showcase sculptures by our faculty and students and share how art can be a part of our environment in meaningful ways. We expect the space to be used heavily by our students and enjoyed by all.”

Woods Quad consists of the space between Woods, Manly, Garland and Clark Halls. Woods Hall was the first building to be rebuilt after the Civil War and was partially constructed from burnt bricks from the Civil War era. Woods Hall housed the entire University until Manly, Clark and Garland were constructed in 1885 and 1888. The buildings surrounding Woods Quad house the Department of Art and Art History, the Department of Gender and Race Studies, and the Department of Religious Studies.

For more information about the ceremony, contact the College of Arts and Sciences at 205-348-4356.