UE art students take natural path at Angel Mounds
Classes enhancing nature
By Mark Wilson (Contact)
Friday, November 14, 2008
evon Moody wasn't sure what creating sculpture from objects in the woods of Angel Mounds State Historic Site had to do with her metalworking and jewelry class.
But a lesson is revealing itself to the University of Evansville senior as she works on the project with classmates during the semester. "You can get inspiration from what you do outside the classroom and bring it into your art," said Moody, a creative writing major from Irvine, Calif.
About 20 students from two UE art classes are creating public art along the trails in the areas of Angel Mounds that were devastated by the Nov. 6, 2005, tornado. Adjunct art instructors Julie Hope and Frances Cadora are heading up the project.
The students use only natural materials, such as dirt, sticks, tree limbs, rocks, grass and logs. The idea is to keep the sculptures environmentally neutral so they will be reclaimed by the surroundings as the area heals from the tornado damage, Hope said.
Angel Mounds' staff liked that idea, said Halley Tallman, the site's cultural administrator.
"Hopefully it will provide a more aesthetically pleasing or engaging experience for visitors," she said.
Small groups of students recently began their sculptures after first visiting the area to see what they had to work with and plan their artworks. When they are finished, the students will document their projects for the class.
Cadora said she and Hope envisioned the project as a way of calling public attention to the resource the trails offer and the volunteer effort to restore them after the tornado.
"It has been interesting watching nature take back the area," Cadora said. "There is a huge effort within the community to recover the trails and make this a nice place again."
The lesson for the students, Hope said, is how their art can go beyond the classroom and be used for a greater good.
Cadora said the sculptures are kept to the trails nearest to the edges of the property so they can be found easily.
The instructors hope the art encourages visitors to create art of their own at Angel Mounds. In the spring, they hope to have a gallery show featuring work inspired by Angel Mounds.
Some of the projects are literal; some are abstract.
"We're making a giant bird's nest or a mid-sized dinosaur nest," Moody laughed. She and class partner Samantha Taylor, a graphic design major, scoured the area around them for sticks big enough to build a large nest.
They still hoped to find some rocks large enough to resemble eggs.
"It is something fun that kids going by with their parents can point at and say, 'Look, a bird nest!'" said Taylor, a senior from Owensville, Ind.
Students Lisa Wulf, Rebecca Patton, Courtney Hostetler and Ayako Kubo worked on a piece they called "Nature's Windows."
The quartet created a framework of circles in different sizes by bending sticks and lashing them with vines to several small trees and weaving them with grass.
Looking through them focused attention on the natural beauty of the area, such as the orange-red fall leaves on trees. "I'm realizing what parts of nature I like and what I don't," Wulf said.
The Newburgh art major worked to replace some of the woven grass knocked loose by the previous night's rain.
"It's a lot of work," Kubo said. "I hope people enjoy it."
Classes enhancing nature
By Mark Wilson (Contact)
Friday, November 14, 2008
evon Moody wasn't sure what creating sculpture from objects in the woods of Angel Mounds State Historic Site had to do with her metalworking and jewelry class.
But a lesson is revealing itself to the University of Evansville senior as she works on the project with classmates during the semester. "You can get inspiration from what you do outside the classroom and bring it into your art," said Moody, a creative writing major from Irvine, Calif.
About 20 students from two UE art classes are creating public art along the trails in the areas of Angel Mounds that were devastated by the Nov. 6, 2005, tornado. Adjunct art instructors Julie Hope and Frances Cadora are heading up the project.
The students use only natural materials, such as dirt, sticks, tree limbs, rocks, grass and logs. The idea is to keep the sculptures environmentally neutral so they will be reclaimed by the surroundings as the area heals from the tornado damage, Hope said.
Angel Mounds' staff liked that idea, said Halley Tallman, the site's cultural administrator.
"Hopefully it will provide a more aesthetically pleasing or engaging experience for visitors," she said.
Small groups of students recently began their sculptures after first visiting the area to see what they had to work with and plan their artworks. When they are finished, the students will document their projects for the class.
Cadora said she and Hope envisioned the project as a way of calling public attention to the resource the trails offer and the volunteer effort to restore them after the tornado.
"It has been interesting watching nature take back the area," Cadora said. "There is a huge effort within the community to recover the trails and make this a nice place again."
The lesson for the students, Hope said, is how their art can go beyond the classroom and be used for a greater good.
Cadora said the sculptures are kept to the trails nearest to the edges of the property so they can be found easily.
The instructors hope the art encourages visitors to create art of their own at Angel Mounds. In the spring, they hope to have a gallery show featuring work inspired by Angel Mounds.
Some of the projects are literal; some are abstract.
"We're making a giant bird's nest or a mid-sized dinosaur nest," Moody laughed. She and class partner Samantha Taylor, a graphic design major, scoured the area around them for sticks big enough to build a large nest.
They still hoped to find some rocks large enough to resemble eggs.
"It is something fun that kids going by with their parents can point at and say, 'Look, a bird nest!'" said Taylor, a senior from Owensville, Ind.
Students Lisa Wulf, Rebecca Patton, Courtney Hostetler and Ayako Kubo worked on a piece they called "Nature's Windows."
The quartet created a framework of circles in different sizes by bending sticks and lashing them with vines to several small trees and weaving them with grass.
Looking through them focused attention on the natural beauty of the area, such as the orange-red fall leaves on trees. "I'm realizing what parts of nature I like and what I don't," Wulf said.
The Newburgh art major worked to replace some of the woven grass knocked loose by the previous night's rain.
"It's a lot of work," Kubo said. "I hope people enjoy it."
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