Volunteering with Bay Area Older Adults is always a fun
experiences and this one was no different. Anne arranged a tour of the
beautiful Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden in Stanford Campus.
It was an hour long docent led tour of the gardens. This garden was created in 1994. One of the master students from the anthropology department at
Stanford, Jim Mason, after returning from a trip to Papua New Guinea, proposed
recreating their art work on the campus. His proposal was approved and ten talented artists from Papua New Guinea were brought in to work on the project.
The group consisted of five youngsters who did all the hard labor and five
experienced artists who did the actual carving and painting. It took them five
months to create all the 40 wood and stone sculptures. Plants in the garden complement the sculptures and were
specifically chosen to mimic the look and feel of Papua New Guinea.
Kura-Mythological character |
The country has two main tribes namely Kwoma and Iatmul who
live along the Sepik river. Representatives from both these tribes were brought
here. One of the tribes is a master of carving wood while the other excels
in painting. The art work is very distinct for each tribe and both are very
intricate and beautiful. The sculptures depict the various founding legends and
important mythological characters. The docent told us quite a few amusing stories from the art work.
Painted sculpture |
There are some sculptures which are inspired from Rodin's
work from the Cantor Art Museum. The artists used their creativity and
presented their take on the master's work. Interestingly, the artists were only used to carving wood. When they asked if they could get some local material other than
wood to try their hand at, they were given pumice stone and the artists took an instant liking to it. This
resulted in a lot of stone sculptures being produced.
'The Thinker' |
Stone carving |
The garden is free and open throughout the year. Free docent
led tours are organized every third Sunday of the month. If you want to
get a glimpse of the fascinating world of the Kwomas and the Iatmuls, I
recommend taking the tour. Parking is free on the weekend and the garden is
completely shaded so there is no reason not to visit the garden and take in the
gorgeous sights.
What: Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden
Where: Lomita Drive Stanford, CA
When: All year round
Fee: Free
Awesome pictures. Loved the combination of pictures and written descriptions that keeps the reader captivating. Thanks for sharing this info. I should try visiting in November or December when my cousin is visiting for the holidays.
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