The Kalman and Friedlan buildings are being replaced with a sand volleyball court, a four-season garden, or a hybrid of the two–there was an e-mail and a student vote about it, a while back. Sahar talked about it in a previous blog post. In addition to these options, there will also definitely by space for young tree saplings to mature, and a loop road that the Waltham Fire Department requires as a precaution.
Now, though, there has been a new, student proposal for what to do with the space. Aimy Tsao, a Fine Arts UDR, and the others want to incorporate a permanent sculpture garden into the spot, where Brandeis students can exhibit their artwork.
It is an alternative to Goldman Schwartz or an inside location, where some work is now shown. Unfortunately, though, larger work often doesn’t fit in these places, and it can sometimes get in the way. The new space, on the other hand, would provide a spot for even the biggest sculptures, and would allow students from all departments (not just art!) to examine student artwork.
So far, the push to make this happen is totally by the students, particularly the Fine Arts UDR’s. They have created a Facebook event and a petition to advocate for the idea. Next year, administration from the art department and elsewhere may get involved, but Aimy says she wants the effort to come from the students, first and foremost.
This seems like a great idea. We need more outlets to display student art on this campus, and this is a perfect opportunity. It’s low-cost, which is a major priority of the University. Plus, it’s awesome that the push is coming entirely from Brandeis students.
Make sure to check out the Facebook event (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123615614315950&ref=ts) and sign the petition (http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/deissculpturegarden) if you’re interested!
That’s a temporary site. Phase 2 of the Science renovations will go there at some point in the future when we can raise the money required.
That said, I’ve really enjoyed seeing all the art displayed around campus the last couple weeks, and would really enjoy seeing more of it in the Science Center’s “back yard”.
What about “Red Square” (the space on top of Gerstenzang)? That seems like it could be a nice place for sculptures. It’s really not useful for much else.
My point exactly, while its great that the administration wants student input into what they do with the space, students need to propose stuff within the established restriction of ‘temporary’
The problem is that they want a *permanent* sculpture garden. The area was meant to be a temporary place until they can finish building the second half of the new science center. Although I think it would be a great idea, I don’t think people should put much effort into this if it cannot be permanent.
See: http://www.brandeis.edu/capitalprojects/projects/current/scienceinterim.html
“…the hope is to create an outdoor space that can be used for multiple activities until Phase 2 construction begins.”
Isn’t the point of the project to be something temporary until the administration has the funds to finish part 2 of the science complex? If I recall correctly the entire purpose is to make the land look good while waiting to finish an already planned project. To make it into a permanent sculpture garden, and I do understand that some art is too big for the current solutions, would be to use the space in a non-efficient way. If anything they should consider building more dorms to house the increasing student body.