Pods
Object NameSculpture
Artist / Maker
Vernon 'Skip" Willits
((American, b. 1956))
Date2013
MediumSteel
Dimensions48 × 38 × 72 in. (121.9 × 96.5 × 182.9 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LinePurchased by Reiman Gardens from the “Iowa, Naturally” exhibition. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object numberU2017.389
Status
Not on viewCollections
Label TextPlanted in the shade of the catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) trees, Pods is a dramatic companion to the natural elements of the Dunlap Courtyard in all seasons. The sculpture’s shape echoes the trees’ long, thin seedpods that persist through the winter, while the rust-colored surface creates a striking contrast to eruptions of orchid-like white blooms in spring. Later, the catalpas’ large, heart-shaped leaves provide relief from summer suns, as well as a backdrop to the angular sculpture that transforms from rich green to luminous gold in the fall. With sharp upward projections, the sculpture explores themes of growth and life cycles central to Reiman Gardens’ focus on plants, butterflies, and the beauty of the natural world.
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Reiman Gardens
Object Name: Sculpture, fountain and pool
Christian Petersen
1941
Object number: U88.69
Object Name: Phonograph Record
Thomas A. Edison Inc.
c. 1912
Object number: 95.3.15