Date: April 14, 2009
Contact: Lindsay Gladstone
Governors State University
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: l-gladstone@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, IL, April 14, 2009 – The Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park (NMSP) is not only home to artwork by some of the nation’s most noted contemporary sculptors; it is also a hub of information about the art, artists, and the park. Director and Curator, Geoff Bates has tapped into various media to deliver information about the wonders of the park located on the grounds of Governors State University in University Park.
The “Two for Tuesday” presentations continue through June with informal, lively half-hour talks comparing and contrasting a different pair of works from the collection. Geoff Bates will lead discussions on April 21, May 5, and June 2, at 12:30 and again at 3:45 p.m., in room D-1497. The talks take place indoors and involve no walking or touring of the park.
In addition to the presentations and tours, information about the park is available on the NMSP website at www.govst.edu/sculpture. The site includes photographs and information about each work, the artists, maps, and an up to date event schedule. Volunteer opportunity and docent training information is also available.
A short documentary introducing the park is available on the website or DVD. The film explains the history of the park through a montage of archival photographs, film clips, and an interview with Lewis Manilow, founder of the park, which he named for his father, Nathan, the visionary community developer. In the film, Manilow explains the park's inception, development, and his hopes for its future.
Documentary filmmaker, Seth McClellan of Frankfort made the film. McClellan, whose documentary works have won numerous film festival awards and screenings and been shown on WTTW Chicago, applied his video production creativity to reveal the natural beauty of the park, establish the importance of the works on exhibit, and decipher their meanings. The film was funded, in parts, by grants from ComEd, an Exelon Company and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
According to Bates, "Community events, education programs, and new materials, such as the documentary, will re-introduce the park to people who have not visited in many years and attract new visitors to discover the treasures dotting the prairie landscape surrounding the university," said Bates. “Education programs can also use the documentary and tours of the sculpture park to educate both school children and adult visitors."
The Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park is free and open daily from dawn to dusk. It is located on the campus of Governors State University, 1 University Parkway, University Park, Illinois. For more information or to request a copy of the documentary DVD, call 708.534.4486, email sculpture@govst.edu, or visit www.govst.edu/sculpture.
