One cool night in the middle of September, some classmates and me were taken for a tour of Meijer Gardens by our humanities professor. This was a visit that was to help inspire us for a paper we turned in two months later. It was my first time at the gardens and although I did not find my essay inspiration on this first visit, I was inspired in many other ways. My mind was opened up to this way of sharing art. I had never been to a outdoor sculpture park before and I fell in love with the layout of it. I also felt inspired by all the new shapes. Not only that, a lot of what we were learning about modern art in class was beginning to make more sense to me.
The visual aspect of seeing these sculptures in person was also beneficial to my understanding of the modern art we were studying in class. In person I could see the size of the sculptures, as well as their texture and more. Some were immense and made me feel insignificant in size, while others felt fragile and provoked different emotions in my mind. I found that there were endless ways to interpret these sculptures and that I probably could never truly know exactly how to interpret them. This seemingly never-ending exploration of the meaning behind these sculptures, along with free admission for the semester, caused me to visit the gardens two more times in 2014. I found it mentally stimulating to approach the art in different ways on different trips. Sometimes I focused on delving further into my interpretation, while other times I tried to step back and enjoy the art as a more passive viewer. Each time I learned more and more about the art.
Upon my multiple visits, I also gained more insight into a sculpture called The American Horse, a piece I was very familiar with prior to my first visit to the gardens, but which I hadn't seen before. This sculpture was one with which I was fascinated with as a child, however, without seeing it in person I could never fully grasp its magnitude until I found myself right in front of it. I will never forget standing there in awe on my first trip to Meijer Gardens as the shock set in. Even now when I go back I am still amazed by the size of this sculpture.
Overall, this first trip to Meijer Gardens taught me about new pieces, inspired me, and allowed me to truly grasp the essence of a piece I already knew. This first trip made Meijer Gardens a destination that I will keep coming back to for insight, entertainment, and beauty for the years to come.
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| Mad Mom |
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| The American Horse |
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| Neutron |
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| The Sleepwalker |
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| Eve |
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