Client: University of South Florida

Location: Tampa, FL, United States

Completion date: 2004

Artwork budget: $40,000

Project Team

Artist

Andy Yoder

Landscape Architect

Todd Worrell

University of South Florida- Landscape Architect

Client

University of South Florida

Industry Resource

A.S. Stewart Clark and Sons

Overview

This artwork is located on a sloping, half-acre site adjacent to the Engineering III Building at the University of South Florida in Tampa. An important criteria of the project was to provide a shaded gathering place for engineering students and faculty. USF has an extensive outdoor sculpture collection, many of which are site-specific commissions.

Goals

With the need for shade, landscaping (consisting of trees, benches and a walkway) was an important part of the project. The committee also wanted an artwork that was as permanent and low maintenance as possible.

Process

This commission required a coordinated effort between the artist, the curator of the University's sculpture collection, the University's landscape architect, and a large number of tradesmen. Besides transforming an open, sun-blasted site into a shaded resting place, my goal was to engage viewers with a proverb inscribed into the massive granite boulders, one word per stone, so that it can read as they move along the pathway. With the engineering program's focus on nanoscience, I chose a Hawaiian proverb: "Don't forget the small things- the kite flies because of its tail."

Additional Information

The granite boulders in this project weighed forty tons, requiring heavy equipment to load, unload and place them. With a limited budget, this commission would not have been possible without the generous donation of the boulders by a young couple in Vermont.