The Sheldon Sculpture Garden
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Arietta II
by Catherine Ferguson
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Catherine Ferguson
Catherine Ferguson
was born in Sioux
City, Iowa, and now
lives and works in
Omaha, Nebraska.
Ferguson’s work as an artist
includes sculpture,
photography, drawing,
and installations.
Ferguson has artwork in Spain,
England, and many
other places around the world.
One other place you can see her work
in Nebraska is in Omaha at the
Qwest Center.
Ferguson was inspired by
Native American burial
mounds for many of her
sculptures.
What inspired Ferguson to create Arietta II ?
Birds in her backyard
Metal bridges in Nebraska
Ancient burial mounds in Iowa
What inspired Ferguson to create Arietta II ?
birds in her backyard
metal bridges in Nebraska
ancient burial mounds in Iowa
What is this sculpture made of?
Painted steel
Bronze
Plastic
What is this sculpture made of?
painted steel
bronze
plastic
What animal shapes do you see in
this sculpture?
Lions
Birds
Snakes
What animal shapes do you see in
this sculpture?
lions
birds
snakes
Why do you think Ferguson created
this sculpture like a large round pot?
Would you want to crawl inside of it?
If you did, what would you see?
Arietta is a musical term. Why do you
think this sculpture was named that?
Bather
by Jacques Lipchitz
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Jacques Lipchitz
Lipchitz and Pablo Picasso were friends.
What similarities can you see in their art?
Lipchitz was a Cubist sculptor.
In cubist art, objects are broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form. Instead of
rendering objects from one angle, the artist shows
multiple angles simultaneously to try to present the
subject in the most complete manner.
Cubism is like looking at the front and back of a
person at the same time.
During World War II, the
German occupation of Paris
forced Lipchitz to move to
New York City in 1940.
Lipchitz’s father did
not want him to
study art.
What do you see in Lipchitz’s Bather?
Three dogs playing cards
A geometric person
A skyscraper
What do you see in Lipchitz’s Bather?
three dogs playing cards
a geometric person
a skyscraper
When do you think the sculpture was made?
1923
1963
2003
When do you think the sculpture was made?
1923
1963
2003
What is the sculpture made of?
Wood
Bronze
Plaster
What is the sculpture made of?
wood
bronze
plaster
What element of art do you see the most of?
Color
Texture
Shape
What element of art do you see the most of?
color
texture
shape
Birth of Venus
by Reuben Nakian
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Reuben Nakian
Nakian’s parents were
from Turkey. He was very
poor many times in his life.
Nakian was his own worst critic and
destroyed most of his artwork.
Nakian made this sculpture by
dipping wet fabric in plaster,
placing it on metal rods, and then
casting the whole piece in bronze.
This is called an additive process:
the artist adds his material instead
of carving away.
Nakian worked as an artist for
75 years! Mythological
themes were his inspiration.
What style is Birth of Venus?
Realistic
Expressive
Neoclassical
What style is Birth of Venus?
Realistic
Expressive
Neoclassical
What is Birth of Venus based on?
Greek mythology
Chinese philosophy
Modern physics
What is Birth of Venus based on?
Greek Mythology
Chinese Philosophy
Modern Physics
What type of material did Nakian use?
Bronze
Clay
Paper-mâché
What type of material did Nakian use?
Bronze
Clay
Paper-mâché
Daimaru XV
by Michael Todd
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Michael Todd
Michael Todd was born in Omaha,
Nebraska, but lived in Chicago. He went
to college at Notre Dame University.
Todd makes art in Los Angeles,
California. He’s taught at many schools
in both California and Vermont.
Todd often uses the circle in his work,
using it to represent both everything and
nothing: circles have no beginning and
no end.
Todd is influenced by Enso, a circular
brushstroke used by master calligraphers.
His sculptures mimic this type of drawing.
Daimaru is the Japanese word for:
Abstraction
Dragon
Big circle
Daimaru is the Japanese word for…?
Big circle
Dragon
Abstraction
How was this sculpture put together?
Glue
Welding
Duct tape
How was this sculpture put together?
Metal Glue
Welded
Duck tape
Is this sculpture
two-dimensional or
three-dimensional?
Old Glory
by Mark di Suvero
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Mark di Suvero
Mark di Suvero was born in Shanghai,
China, but grew up in San Francisco.
He made models of his sculptures
using wood before moving onto
I beams and other architectural
materials for his large-scale works.
When he was preparing for his first one-man
exhibition, he was injured in an elevator
accident. His spine was crushed and he was
told he would never walk again.
While in the hospital, he encouraged other
patients to paint.
With his brother’s help, he returned to
constructing his I-beam sculptures.
One thing Mark di Suvero enjoys
doing is helping other artists. He
started an organization called
the Athena Foundation.
Where was this sculpture made?
Lincoln
New York
Miami
Where was this sculpture made?
Lincoln, NE
New York, NE
Miami, FL
The I beams used in this sculpture
are also used for what?
Buildings
Furniture
Sailing
The I-beams used in this sculpture
are also used for what?
buildings
furniture
sailing
Why do you think
Mark di Suvero made
Old Glory red?
Floating Figure
by Gaston Lachaise
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Gaston Lachaise
Lachaise loved his art and his wife. She
was the inspiration for all his work. He
moved to America for her.
Lachaise not only made sculptures of
women but also carved glass and a Civil
War monument in Boston, Massachusetts.
He was using his father’s woodworking
tools before he was old enough to
attend school.
His sculptures are known for
“purposeful distortion” and appearing
like they float in the air.
Does this sculpture look
light and weightless? How
was Lachaise able to do
that? If you needed to
making a floating figure,
what would you do the
same or different?
Why do you think
this figure is bald?
Discuss what Lachaise
meant for “purposeful
distortion” in his sculpture.
Greenpoint
by Richard Serra
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Richard Serra
Before becoming an artist,
Richard Serra used to work in a
steel mill and in shipyards.
Serra’s sculptures are so huge that
one of his assistants died in an
accident while a piece was being
assembled. Another assistant was
seriously injured.
Serra uses computer software to
design his sculptures.
Serra believes that the space
around his sculptures is just as
important as the sculpture itself.
He decides on how his works look
according to where they will be
placed.
Where was this sculpture originally
supposed to be located?
Denver
Germany
Canada
Where was this sculpture originally
supposed to be located?
Denver
Germany
Canada
What is Greenpoint named after?
The artist’s favorite movie
His pet’s name
His studio
What is Greenpoint named after?
his favorite movie
his pet’s name
his studio
What art movement is Serra
considered part of?
Pop art
Minimalism
Impressionism
What movement of art is Serra
considered part of?
Pop art
Minimalism
Impressionism
Fallen Dreamer
by Tom Otterness
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Tom Otterness
Otterness is best known for his cast
bronze sculptures of whimsical,
cartoonish characters.
His public works are housed in
parks, plazas, subway stations,
libraries, courthouses, and
museums.
He often makes multiple versions
of the same sculpture. Fallen
Dreamer is one of three casts.
Otterness grew up in Topeka,
Kansas, and now lives and works
in New York.
What do you think the
title Fallen Dreamer
means? Does it suit the
sculpture? Would you
keep the title or
change it?
Sandy in Defined Space
by Richard McDermott Miller
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Richard McDermott Miller
One of Miller’s favorite sayings is
“Art is more a matter of the hand
and eye than of the mouth.”
Sandy was on originally on loan to
the Sheldon, but so many people
liked the sculpture that UNL students
started a fundraising drive to
purchase it.
Miller creates sculptures in a
realistic style. Instead of working
from pictures, he uses live models.
First he sculpts in wax and then he
casts in bronze.
Miller was in the U.S. Army, but
instead of becoming an officer,
he went to work with the artist
Gutzon Borglum, creator of
Mount Rushmore.
Where should
you stand to
view this
sculpture? Why?
Superstructure on 4
by David Smith
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David Smith
Smith was inspired by Cubism,
and his favorite artist was
Pablo Picasso.
Smith learned how to weld
and rivet while he worked in
an automobile factory.
Smith’s medium of choice was
stainless steel. In Superstructure,
the steel’s reflective quality allows
viewers to see the interaction
between the sculpture and the
environment.
Smith’s art-making process is
called assemblage. He gathers
pieces of metal, moves them
around, and welds them together
when they look right.
Would you have named this
sculpture a “superstructure”?
Why or why not?
How would you describe this
piece to someone who has
never seen it?
Torn Notebook
by Claes Oldenburg and
Coosje van Bruggen
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Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
Oldenburg and Van Bruggen were
married and created artwork
together from 1976 until Van
Bruggen’s death in 2009.
Oldenburg is a Pop artist. He wants
his art to do something beyond sit
in a museum. He’s interested in
showing humor and wit in his art.
Oldeburg and Van Bruggen
used everyday objects
as inspiration for
monumental sculptures.
Oldenburg has created
sculptures out of many
different materials, including
fabric and fur.
What is the notebook’s spiral
supposed to represent?
A tornado
Curly hair
Homework
What is the notebook’s spiral
supposed to represent?
a tornado
curly hair
homework
What words can you see on the
sculpture’s paper?
Mountains, snow, pine trees
Skyscrapers, ocean
Wind, buffalo, barbed wire
What words should you see on the
sculpture’s paper?
mountains, snow, pine trees
skyscrapers, ocean
wind, buffalo, barbed wire
Torso
by William Zorach
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William Zorach
Zorach loved to draw as a child
but his family did not support his
career choice.
He married Marguerite Thompson
who was also an artist. Both
artists’ works centered on themes
of love, family, childhood,
animals, and nature.
Zorach was born in Lithuania. His
family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in
1891. His family was poor with ten
children (William was the eighth). At
age 12 he got a job in a lithography
firm to help support his family.
After studying painting in New York
and Paris, Zorach turned to
sculpture, a medium for which he is
better known. He worked mostly in
wood and stone. Torso was first
made in stone, and bronze copies
were created later.
Why do you think Zorach
didn’t include a head,
arms, and legs in Torso?
Breach
by Roxy Paine
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Roxy Paine
Paine likes to play with
relationships between natural and
artificial objects. For example, he
uses machines to build sculptures
that look like they’ve been made
by nature.
Paine decided he wanted to
be an artist when he was 15
years old.
Paine was born in New York
City, where he continues to
live and work.
Besides making art resemble
nature, Paine also designs
machines to create art.
What material did Paine use for this
sculpture?
Stainless steel
Silver
Plastic
What material did Paine use for this
sculpture?
stainless steel
silver
plastic
How many different parts is Breach
made out of?
300
3,000
30,000
How many different parts is Breach
made out of?
300
3,000
30,000
Why did Paine call this
sculpture Breach? For
help, look up the
definition of the word.
How would the sculpture
change through the
seasons? How would it
stay the same?
Oh no,
you have to
try again!