Located between the Student Center and Gorgas Library, Woods Quad offers students a relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of university life. Woods Quad is lush with beautiful plantlife and outdoor seating, but one of its most unique features is its Sculpture Garden.
The Woods Quad Sculpture Garden was largely conceived by Robert Olin, Emeritus Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, and it was officially dedicated in 2014. Since then, multiple sculptures made by faculty and students have been displayed in the quad.
Though thousands of guests visit the University each year, many are unaware of the history of the art showcased in the quad. Here is a list of some of the sculptures and their backstories to bring light to the handiwork of each artist.
“Quilted Vessel” by Craig Wedderspoon
Located in the center of Woods Quad, “Quilted Vessel” is the largest sculpture in the garden and is composed of many small pieces of aluminum fused together in a quilt-like pattern. Its creator, Craig Wedderspoon, is a professor of art and sculpture and oversees the garden. Much of the art included in Woods Quad has been made by former students of his. It was first debuted at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
“Riverstone” by Craig Wedderspoon
Designed and crafted by Craig Wedderspoon, “Riverstone” was debuted at the UA Faculty Biennial Exhibition in 2012 before it was erected in Woods Quad. The sphere-like form is made of bronze and currently rests right in front of President’s Hall.
“Goldie 1971” by Joe McCreary
“Goldie 1971,” or Goldie the Robot, was made by UA alum Joe McCreary, one of Wedderspoon’s former students, in 2009 to commemorate the history of Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces. Goldie can be seen laying down with a total length of a whopping 23 feet. McCreary created the sculpture for a master’s candidacy project and sold it to UA soon after it was premiered in the garden.
“Homage to Brancusi” by Billy Lee
Billy Lee’s contribution to the sculpture garden, “Homage to Brancusi,” was crafted in 1993 for the “Save Outdoor Sculpture!” project established by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Heritage Preservation in 1990, making it the oldest sculpture in Woods Quad. The tall, slender structure is made from steel painted black.
“Fibonacci Spiral” by Lindsay Jones Lindsey
Also one of Wedderspoon’s former students, Lindsay Jones Lindsey began crafting “Fibonacci Spiral” in 2009 for a research project. The sculpture combined her backgrounds in art, engineering and interior design. The sculpture’s stainless steel is intended to give it a reflective quality, and its spiraling frame illustrates the famous mathematical pattern, the fibonacci sequence.
“Flourish” by Ringo Lisko
The most recent addition to the sculpture garden, Ringo Lisko’s “Flourish” was unveiled in Woods Quad in the fall of 2021. Lisko is a UA alum who graduated in 2020, majoring in sculpture and drawing. A crescent shaped with camellias, the state flower of Alabama, the sculpture was created for the McMahon-Pleiad Public Art Trail Initiative and sits next to Wedderspoon’s “Quilted Vessel.” Lisko said the sculpture’s flowers represent a “narrative of human potential.”
The Woods Quad Sculpture Garden is equipped with 17 spots made for sculptures. Wedderspoon said they will all be filled “slowly — bit by bit.”
