Art at Governors State

The theme of the day is definitely "ART"! The College of Arts and Sciences will be having a campus wide Fine Arts Festival on November 6th as well. Last year, they had a participatory mural, where anyone and everyone could paint their little piece of the sky on campus. That work is now displayed inside the main entrance atrium.

Just because HSLI members are among the most creative and multitalented (not to mention interdisciplinary) people in the state, I am working on an idea of creating an HSLI collage as part of this Fine Arts Festival. Contact Paul Blobaum if you are interested in brainstorming on this idea. We could create some priceless piece of art, interpreting our profession perhaps, with pictures, magazine/newspaper clippings of headlines or words, small objects, Elmer's glue, and a smidge of glitter.

There are plans for the park's curator, Geoffrey Bates, to give a 30 minute slideshow on the Manilow Sculpture Park, among the largest in the United States, at the Nancy's Reception on THursday evening at the Holiday Inn, Tinley Park. The web address of the sculpture park is www.govst.edu/sculpture.

If there is interest, a customized tour following the CE classes can be arranged at 4:35 pm for about 30 minutes on the sculptures closest to the main building, including the HSLI conference's theme sculpture, "Passage". Some of the sculptures are works by internationally known artists. Self-guided tours with maps are available as well. The North trail is an unpaved grass covered trail over rolling terrain, covering about 15 acres of prairie and ponds, adjacent to and north of the GSU main campus building. Hiking the whole North sculpture park trail takes 30 to 45 minutes, and is moderately strenuous.

Many sculptures can be enjoyed from your car. The south sculpture park trail, which encompasses the sculptures surrounding the campus parking lot, is less strenuous and can be enjoyed on paved roads and sidewalks. You will notice "Paul", the interpretation of Paul Bunyan as an old man, on the main entrance drive.